hello, and welcome to dw-tv in brussels, for another edition of "european journal." the rest concern in hungary about a government intent on controlling the media. also, one man, no vote and a spanish village. how blind teacher and poland it pulls the wool over his pupil's eyes. and straining to make a political point in austria with a colander.

one way of bringing your country's media into line is to fire more than 400 journalists from the public broadcasting network in one fell swoop. that is what prime minister viktor urban in hungary did. condemnation from around the you seem to have had little effect. now private broadcasters are starting to fear for their future. a somber welcome at the public broadcasting building in hungary. a coffin has been placed at the entrance. the government has fired over 450 employees out of the staff of 2000. the casket lot -- the casket reads, herein lies the independence of public broadcasting. our team needs one journalist who is still on staff, but we are not allowed to reveal the location. the reporter is worried about being identified. >> you absolutely cannot imagine the pressure we are under, the desperation and outrage.

we see a lot of people crying in the hallways. everyone is worried about being let go. our journalistic standards have been destroyed. government loyalists are the ones to report the news. >> now there is a central news desks, led by daniel, who has ties with the right-wing nationalist party. it there is talk that he is willing to frame the days to fit the government's purposes. one evening news segment it is preceded by a warning, saying that the content could be unsuitable for children. the piece is about a parliamentarian, who heaped criticism on the prime minister viktor urban over the country's new media law. during a press coverage organized by hungary's green party. he talks about why he opposed the constitution and whether he thought the sexual announcement of minors was a core democratic

value. the station claims that he left without responding to questions. a look back at the original material shows that he crafted a colman detailed response to the loaded questions. he left the press conference half an hour later as originally planned. >> i never said you had put this in the constitution. >> shortly after the station aired its misleading report -- >> always have the feeling to defend a government. >> the head of the journalists' union, an editor himself, was outraged. >> it is about our prestige, honor, our professional integrity. they have not denied it. it tells me it probably happened, and that is unacceptable and these persons will decide who will stay on in

the news department. >> the story was broadcast word for word on hungarian radio, as well as all channels owed by the public tv broadcaster. the government had synchronized the news by putting all public broadcasting departments under single state run media holding group. the organization's spokeswoman said structural reform was necessary to ensure quality journalism. with regard to the misleading segment on tv, she said he had simply acted within the bounds of reasonable interpretation of the story. she also addressed the job cuts. >> we have to save money and still make the program more appealing. the job cuts were decided in a strictly professional manner based on to the best employees were and how capable they were doing the job. >> this person was one of the journalists who was it shown the

door. up he was the award winning head of the foreign affairs desk. he was proud of his political independence, a popular personality, and even won the hungarian pulitzer prize. his former employer still uses his achievements in on-line ads, even though he was fired. >> honestly, it was a big surprise. i did not want to believe something like that to happen to me. a day earlier, the secretary called me and told me to come and see so and so the next day at 11:00. it was really quick. no one asked me questions, for instance, who made this decision. i was told, i cannot tell you that. >> this radio station is a private station fighting for its survival. it enjoys good ratings but also has a number of liberal

listeners. now the government wants to award its frequency to a music station. >> they started starving us out a long time ago. the national lottery, the biggest energy companies and banks advertise with us for years. some suddenly they said we don't care how good the concept is, we will not by the advertisements anymore. >> now the hungarian media holding group announces there will be another round of job cuts at the public broadcaster later in the year. in our local life series, we're looking at the curious situation in la vilella alta in spain's catalonia region. they're trying to elect a mayor, and none of the villagers want the job, they refuse to vote for an outside leader.

>> the village of la vilella alta needs a new mayor, but there was only one candidate, and residents have seen no trace of him around town. >> he was just on the list. he never introduced himself. >> he does not even know where his villages. >> had he been elected, that candidate would hold sway over la vilella alta's 150 residences. his office would be in the town hall. but his main role dreams and southern catalonia have been shattered. these three women know the village and its people well. they were born here in a plan to stay. they take care of the church and prepare everything for mass, which is read by a priest from a

neighboring community. >> we all help one another, but there are disadvantages. everyone knows everything, who has done what, who has left, come back to cour. >> the women doubt that an outsider would adjust to the customs. >> we would be stuck with someone we don't know, even if he only received a single vote. because no one voted, he could not win. >> the conservatives nominated fernandez, but they probably knew he had little chance of winning. their candidate hails from the canary islands, 2,000 kilometers away. all 112 registered voters in the village boycott the election.

>> i always bring the pellets to la vilella alta. when i arrived, did testify was from the village. they said it was unusual for no one to vote. >> the > >in la vilella alta became national news. the that is only half the story. as an independent, may well serve as a local councilman, and he will have to stay on for now. >> if the list had included candidates from the village, 70% or 80% would have turned out to vote. >> the problem is none of the residents actually want to run for mayor. >> it is a great deal of responsibility that involves hours of work, travel, a whole series of things.

when it comes to criticizing, everyone gets involved, but no one wants to do the job themselves. icertainly it is nicer to stay back what the crowd then be the leader out front. >> just one vote could have seen a candidate from the canary islands become mayor. but some wonder whether fernandez would have even come to the village. this person says the election was all about money. >> that is always the case with spanish local elections. the parties nominate candidates, they collected 250 euros for each one. i am sure they nominated candidates from all the small villages in spain. >> the boycott has cast a shadow over the village. amid the uproar, the press has

not heard much from the old mare, but he will still have to find interim leaders to make sure that things get done in the village. >> i spoke with a man from the south. he said there had been a transitional administration the past three turns. everything has been going fine. >> and there is little reason to think that things will not continue to run smoothly in la vilella alta, mayor or no mayor. it is hard enough teaching a class of lively teenagers when you have all of your faculties, but imagine doing it if you are blind. that is what polish history teacher maciek bialek did as his sight rapidly deteriorated. what is amazing is that for years he had his blindness from students. when his blindness came to

light, far from losing his job as he feared, bialek became a hero. >> if you saw maciek bialek walking through the school, you'd never guess that he was absolutely blind. he knows every step, every corner, every obstacle. the only thing he cannot do is read. when he lost his sight, he invented trucks. he got his students to read things out. 25 years ago, he was a people here. at his site was already deteriorating and he relied on his sense of direction and hearing to get around. that is how he was able to hide his disability so long, but his secret eventually came out. >> hiding it was a huge burden. the fear that it would come out and i would lose my job. on a school outing, i stepped on a colleague's skirt and it almost came off.

then i hurt my forehead. the questions kept coming. a potentially i felt my back was against the wall so i admitted i cannot see any marked. >> he is currently teaching his pupils about europe before world war ii. he knows all of the maps and literature by heart. at home he has a machine that adapts books into audiotext. he is dependent on his people's and he is grateful they have never tried to trick them. >> you do not have to be big and strong to have authority. some math teachers are fragile like sparrows. it is not about what you look like, whether you have arms or feet or blonde, fat, or thin. the 40 is built on personality. rigid authority is built on personality. what counts is having something to say in doing your job well. that he mixes with his pupils during breaks. for them, he is a hero, particularly since they still go

on school trips. nobody would consider cheating in his class. >> i admire him. he has a great sense of humor and he sees the funny side of his situation. i could not face him anymore if i cheated. i think it is. i can tell my friends that i have such a special teacher. >> the temptation to cheat is big, but i would have a guilty conscience for deceiving such a great person. >> you get a second chance to correct the test. there is no need to cheat. >> it sounds too good to be true, but it took a decade of fear to get here. the school principal used to be one of his teachers. she remembers a nice, slightly deysi people with big glasses. she knows that people with disabilities have a hard time in

poland, but she is sad that he kept the problem to itself. >> he did not believe i would support him. he thought he would be fired. i can understand that, but it really surprised me he felt so badly about me. >> maciek confided and two colleagues who helped him hide his blindness. they read his teaching time table and helped him deal with documents and other issues. maciek said they were his eyes and the school. they finally put pressure on him to tell the other colleagues. >> i was more and more afraid he would seriously injure himself if he did not admit it. i was certain he would not lose his job. he is too good of a teacher for

that. i said you have to go public and start using a white cane. for your own safety. >> his friends and neighbors help them in the evenings. they read it tests, help them piccolos, and find out the pages and the books that he needs to -- help him with his clothes, and find the pages and the books that he needs to scan into is all the machine. at first, it hurt his pride. now he sees it as an asset. >> if a teacher says i am stronger so you have to do everything like this, the students rebel. but people also act as a team and understand they are there to help each other. in my case, the only thing that counts is how well i teach history. >> maciek can now walk through town with nothing to do hide. aided by kaine, his good sense of direction and hearing, he

enjoyswithout fear o o o o o o a colleague discovering his secret. the issue of multiculturalism is a hot topic in europe, initiated by populist right-wing parties. even in denmark, long seen as one of the european union's most liberal countries, the government is pushing increasingly anti-immigrant policies. denmark has reintroduced border controls, which flies in the face of european lolls on freedom of movement. >> the quiet suburbs. the classic image of denmark. but a lot of people say the idyllic situation is under threat because of an increase in break-ins. >> there has been a huge rise in crime. it is not like it is used to be. i am in favor of checks. >> in may, they announced they would be reintroducing border

checks. >> some people complain, but i think it is ok. >> there are too many people entering the country who should not be here. its immigration laws of the past decade. and rightly so, says this parliamentarian from the populist danish people's party. the party holds the balance in parliament. the new border controls were negotiated by the party and support for supporting the government's -- in return for supporting the government's pension reforms. >> we needed to toughen the denmark immigration laws. the border issues to be wide open, but now we no longer grant asylum to everyone who wants it. >> what is the story behind the move?

five years ago, there were attacks on danish embassies in pakistan and the middle east following the publication of cartoons and a danish newspaper featuring the profit muhammed. there was talk of a clash of civilizations, something that won the danish people party new voters. the party tried to win sympathy by drumming up a feeling of national identity and patriotism. in this music video and at the upcoming election, the singers are all parliamentarians. "we are the danes at," they chant. >> children and young people should learn at an early age about danish values and what committee means. there are an important part of spanish society. otherwise they will not be rooted in our society letter run when they are adults.

>> this offer is shocked by such attitudes. he considers himself typically danish, but that is about being cosmopolitan and multi-cultural. >> they want to standardize danish-ness, but we are all mixed. our culture is one big melting pot. >> he says the policies of the danish people party are wrong and dangerous. >> this party is out to create conflict. the more conflict there is, the more votes they get, and then their influence increases. the only policy they have against foreigners and against asylum seekers. >> the whole debate over immigrants seems bizarre to those it is focused on. is this area of copenhagen a ghetto or just a lively but the ethnic neighborhood? ethnic minorities account for a relatively small amount of the population.

>> it gives a bad impression of denmark. i don't think the normal danish person that you meet on the street is as bad as the politicians try to make it look like. they are very positive people. >> which is understandable. denmark is a wealthy country with high wages and low unemployment. critics say its image is now defined by a new sense of patriotism. photos on identity cards or passports rarely flatter, particularly if you have the photo taken with a colander on your head. it sounds ridiculous, but this was done by an austrian man to make a serious point. he is protesting against the fact that only members of religious groups are allowed to wear headgear in official. -- in official photos. >> this is an official driver's license photo.

he applied for his license two years ago wearing a colander. it made for an unusual had shot, but the authorities allowed it. >> when i applied for the license, there was a small brochure from the interior ministry that said you were not allowed to wear head coverings and your driver's license photos except for religious reasons but. as an atheist, i don't belong to any religion, but i thought i would like to make use of that special rights of white or something on my head -- of that special right, so i wore something on my head. at that he is part of a group that call themselves pasta- farianians. it belonged to the church of the flying spaghetti monster. some members claim they have spotted the spaghetti monster themselves. one citing allegedly took place on top of a high-rise building in germany. but he says it is no joke.

>> i was wearing a colander on my head when i walked into the license bureau. people looked at me, but they did not ask any questions. the clerk took my application and did not say a thing. he saw i was wearing the color and he was holding a photo of me wearing it. he was expressionless. >> he was told to visit an official doctor who would determine whether he was mentally fit. he passed the test and received his license. meanwhile, the police say the rule is that the head is simply needs to be visible in the photo. >> the driver's license law says the person said must be recognizable, which was the case with this photo. the u did not recognize the collider at first, the head is

clearly visible through it. >> i expected and-outcry. instead, i got my license. >> he says just because a religious institution like the catholic church is recognized by the government does not mean that it should enjoy special rights. he is pushing for a strict separation of church and state. in fact, many austrians are pushing for a referendum on the issue. >> we have made posters and postcards that address different sides of the issue. the main messages are no state within the state, no tax money for perpetrators of abuse, and no funding for misogyny. >> petitions are available all around austria, but signing up means covering certain taboos. >> what is interesting is we get a lot of inquiries from people, particularly small communities,

who were. afraid to show were. it is tantamount to being ousted, and they fear reprisals. some people are really scared. >> many austrian sympathize with the pasta-farianians cause, even though the head gear issue is not relevant to the catholic church. >> in the end, it can disadvantage religious minorities. >> perhaps the best solution to the issue would be to permit all kinds of head gear and identity photos and take the privilege of of the religious realm. and that is it from "european journal." we love hearing from you, so please send your e-mail to the

usual addresses. for all of the team here in brussels, goodbye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--