HUNGARY: Nationalism and anti-Semitism
01 January 1991
HUNGARY: Nationalism and anti-Semitism
artdoc August=1994
Issues in the general election
The MDF and the far-Right
In the run-up to the Hungarian general election, the centre-right
Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) were forced to question the
anti-Jewish prejudice that has in the past characterised its
electoral campaigning work, says the London-based Jewish
Chronicle. During its election campaign, the MDF largely steered
away from using rhetoric about `cosmopolitan' (a code word in
Hungary for `Jewish') influences damaging the country. And the
leader of the MDF, Peter Borass, publicly condemned anti-
Semitism.
But other commentators say that the MDF let the country's small
but vocal far-Right do its dirty work for them. Tibor Szendrei
of the English-language Budapest Week predicted that when the
anti-Semitic extreme-right parties fail to cross the five per
cent threshold, the MDF would benefit from their elimination by
the transfer of votes (Jewish Chronicle 6.5.94).
Anti-Semitic campaign by Hungarian Justice and Life Party
In the run-up to the May general election, Istvan Csurka, the
leader of the Hungarian Justice and Life Party, attacked Jewish
control of the media and called on Hungary's Jewish community to
`relieve the nation of the 50-year-old charge of collective
guilt'. Csurka, writing in the far-Right weekly Magyar Forum, on
the 50th anniversary of the nazi occupation of Hungary, said:
`The vast majority of the media are in the service of these
extremist Jewish groups who limitlessly abuse the cultural and
political players on the populist-nationalist side, disparaging
Magyar traditions'. Csurka's outbursts came amidst renewed fears
in the Jewish community of rising anti-Semitism. A poster is
being distributed by the Hungarian Interest Party, showing a
nazi-style caricature of a Jewish man with a Star of David on
each shoulder reaching over a map of Hungary, enchained and
weighed down by a dollar sign. The MEP, most of whose members are
skinheads, is led by Izabelly Kiraly who, like Csurka, was a
member of the ruling MDF until she was expelled for her extremist
views (Jewish Chronicle 1.4.94).
Meanwhile, the Hungarian foreign minister, Geze Jeszensky, was
heckled at a conference to commemorate the Hungarian holocaust
when he sought to equate the deaths of 600,000 Hungarian Jews
with Hungarian soldiers who died in the war (Jewish Chronicle
8.4.94).
Skinheads attack bus carrying Arab youth
Fifty skinheads smashed the windows of a tram in Budapest in an
attempt to attack Arab youth inside. One of the fascists had to
have a foot amputated after being dragged along by the moving
tram. The bus driver was seriously injured. But the Arabs, it
seems, escaped unhurt (Tatblatt 16.3.94).
IRR European Race Audit no 9, July 1994. Contact: Liz Fekete
Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London WC1X 9HS
Tel: 071 837 0041