Hungary / 19-08-2012
Hungarian soccer fans disrupt Israeli anthem with antisemitic slurs
Budapest - Hungarian authorities still have not apologized for anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents that took place at an August 15 soccer match between the national teams of Israel and Hungary in Budapest. During the so-called friendly match, a warm-up for both teams in advance of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, Hungarian fans turned their backs on the field during the singing of “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem, and waved Iranian and Palestinian flags.
Fans who attended the match told Haaretz of booing throughout the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw. There were also chants of “Palestine, Palestine,” “stinking Jews,” “Buchenwald” and “Heil Benito Mussolini.”
“It wasn't a group a crazies, but the entire crowd," said one of those present.
The incident was not an isolated case, Efraim Zuroff, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Jerusalem office, told Haaretz. “Hooliganism of this kind is indicative of the rise of anti-Semitism in Hungary today,” he said, adding that it is encouraged by the ultra-nationalist Jobbik party that denies Hungarian complicity in Holocaust crimes and supports Iran. Jobbik first gained seats in the Hungarian parliament two years ago, and now is the country's third-largest political party.
