Hungary / 07-07-2012
Hungary Rabbi outright rejects debate challenge from Neo-Nazi apologist party Jobbik
Budapest - In an interview with The Algemeiner, Rabbi Shlomo Koves, the Hungarian Chabad Rabbi who was challenged to a debate this week by Gabor Vona, leader of Jobbik, a Hungarian nationalist, Neo-Nazi party, has outright declined the request.
“Here is a party which makes openly antisemitic comments,” he said, “what is there to debate about.”
“They say they want to have an open talk, but in every debate you need a point of agreement, I cant have a mathematical debate if you don’t agree that 1 and 1 is 2 and 2 and 2 is four,” he continued, “they consider certain extreme ideas as facts than what should I debate them on?”
“Why should I respond and give them a platform to say that ‘the rabbi says they are not antisemitic’” he concluded.
Koves implied that he would be open to the idea of discussion, if the party publicly expressed regret for antisemitic comments that have been made in its name, and resolved to cease from bigoted statements in the future, “If they send a letter that says that they regret their antisemitic comments from before, then there may be something to discuss,” he said.
