HUNGARY | Jobbik Jew-baiter rapped

Source: Jewish Chronicle Tuesday, 14 February 2012, 13:30

The Hungarian government and Jewish community have condemned shocking statements made by a representative of the fascist Jobbik party. In an interview with the Jewish Chronicle in February, Jobbik MP Marton Gyongyosi, the party’s foreign affairs spokesman, refused to acknowledge the official figures for the number of Jews murdered in the Hungarian Holocaust, saying: “It has become a fantastic business to jiggle around with the numbers.” He also claimed that Jews were colonising the country and said it was “a natural reaction for people to feel that Jews are not welcome here”. Gyongyosi then added that Israel operated a “Nazi system” and appeared to support Iran in its oft-stated aim of destroying Israel. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry issued a statement declaring: “We strongly condemn the position of Jobbik on the Holocaust, on the internal political situation in Israel and on the political relations of the Middle East.” In a further development, Hungarian Socialist Party leader Attila Mesterhazy said the government and the Speaker of Parliament should investigate Gyongyosi over a possible breach of the law, Holocaust denial being illegal in Hungary. The Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation is also looking into possibility of taking legal action against Gyongyosi.