هنغاريا / 02-03-2007
Hungary - Hungarian PM warns of escalating anti-Semitism in his country
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany warned that anti-Semitism has escalated in Hungary since the demonstrations against the Socialist-led government last year.
In an interview with The Times newspaper, Gyurcsany accused Viktor Orban, leader of the main right wing opposition Fiesz party of exploiting anti-Semitism in an attempt to derail his government’s modernisation programme.
“There is something horrible happening. There have never been so many anti-Semitic remarks as now,” the Prime Minister said.
Gyurcsany and his coalition of Socialists and Free Democrats survived street protest demonstrations in September and October last year touched off by the leaking of a tape in which the Prime Minister admitted lying about the parlous state of the economy to win national election in April.
My wife Klara Dobrey is a lecturer “My wife Klara Dobrey is a lecturer at the department of law at Budapest University. Last week she left the central building of the university, and she was handed a leaflet the likes of which we have never seen in the last 50 years in Hungary. It is very clear and unambiguous anti-Semitic pamphlet," Gyurcsány said, adding this did not only outrage him because his wife is of Jewish descent.
In the interview, the Hungarian Prime Minister also warned that Eastern Europe, from Poland to the Balkans, could embrace radical nationalism as the region shies away from urgently needed reforms.
Source:
www.ejpress.org
Date: 04/Mar/2007
