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The Hungarian government wants to get rid of references and symbols that remind of either Nazism or communism. It will go to extreme lengths to achieve its goal, which may have consequences for Heineken, because the brand’s iconic red star is a target.
Moral obligation
Hungary wants to remove red stars, because they were the symbol of the communist dictatorship that was in control for almost fifty years. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government feel it is their moral obligation to forbid these symbols without any possible consideration for their origin: Heineken stated that their logo is an old brewers’ symbol dating back to the Middle Ages, but the (far) right government seemingly ignored that information.
“The star’s points symbolize the four natural ingredients, with the fifth as the unknown magic of beer brewery”, Heineken said. Following the Second World War, it temporarily replaced the star with a white version with red edge, but returned to a fully red version in 1991. Hungarian vice Prime Minister Semjen already stated he feels the star has a “clear political purpose”.
Criminal offence
If it is actually outlawed, this could turn into an expensive ordeal for Heineken, because the Hungarian government wants to issue fines up to seven million euro and prison sentences for anyone breaking the law. The parliamentary debate started last night, but with a two-thirds majority for the current administration, it is highly unlikely parliament will disagree with the government.
Orbán’s opponents see a common ground with previous acts from the Hungarian government. They see in this attempt to label Heineken’s logo as a communist symbol an “alternative” effort to give Hungarian companies preference over foreign companies. Previously, it attempted to force Sunday rest on foreign supermarkets, while this may be an attempt to punish the Dutch beer giant for a local beer conflict in Transylvania according to analysts. Even though it is now a Romanian province, it still houses plenty of Hungarians.
