Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Strange coalitions of the third kind

Clashes took place in the Hungarian town of Sajobabony between the local Roma community and supporters of radical nationalist party Jobbik and its uniformed arm.

Following last week's
wrestlemania between Jobbik supporters and Gypsies in Sajóbábony, Jobbik chairman Gábor Vona gave a speech in the town. Vona blamed the secret services for stirring up anti-Magyar Gárda ("Hungarian Guard") sentiments, and said that Jobbik is not opposed to Gypsies but to crime, and therefore law-abiding Gypsies had nothing to worry about.

Apparently, the relief felt by such reassurances induced a reciprocal gesture from one Roma leader:


Csaba Kállai
(pictured), a national Gypsy leader, tried to find common ground with the Jobbik chairman at the event, saying "Gypsies eat the same things as Hungarians. There are people who won't eat pork, but us Gypsies do," signaling that Jobbik should be concerned with another minority in Hungary. Nothing like anti-Semitism to help bring people together...

About the return of Hungarian antisemitism, here
.

And here.
In Alan Furst's novel "Kingdom of Shadows", I found the following quote:

"The last week, in May, the Hungarian parliament had passed a law restricting Jewish employment in private companies to twenty percent of the workforce.

"Shameful," Morath said "But the government had to do something, something symbolic, or the Hungarian Nazis would have staged a coup d'etat"

Balki read further. "Who is count Bethlen?"

"A conservative. Against the radical right." Morath didn't mention Bethlen's well-known definition of the anti-Semite as "one who detests Jews more than necessary."

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