HUNGARY - CURRENT EVENTS

DANIEL: THE DANUBE IS CALLING
AND THE TRAINS ARE WAITING



Translation with explanation: Daniel, you will either be shot and thrown into the Danube or be taken to Auschwitz.

Warning: This is not a totally objective post, it is my opinion, and I stand by it!

Many of my friends, or more humbly, a few have asked me to write and explain what is going on in Hungary. I suppose, lately you read and heard about Hungary in the news more often than before. It would be a complicated endeavor, requiring many historical references, to paint a clear picture of the current events in Hungary. I also think that it would be way beyond my competence to summarize everything. However, I think that if you read this story, describing one incident that occurred last week, you will at least get a feeling of the prevailing atmosphere in my native country.

Short background leading to the incident:

There is a tendency in Hungary to forget the past, or rather to falsify and glorify the past, rewrite history. It is true about the distant past and even more true about the recent past. A new generation is being taught or will be taught about the period between the two world wars, as being the glory days of Hungary. Children, according to the newly proposed education program, will learn about writers I have never even heard about, whose only claim to fame is that they were openly anti-Semitic. Statues are being removed, streets are being renamed. (Roosevelt Square close to the Houses of Parliament is now called Széchenyi Square, and Moscow Square is now Széll Kálmán Square, just to mention a few). The statue of Mihály Károlyi, the first prime minister of a democratic Hungary in the XX. century was removed from its original place. Just a few months earlier, right wing hooligans with the support of Jobbik, an ultra-right party occupying 8% of the seats in parliament, poured paint on it.  The demonstrators placed a Jewish yarmulke on Károlyi's head and hung a sign around his neck reading:"I am responsible for Trianon". (During the Trianon peace treaty Hungary lost significant territories after the World War One).

The incident:

In this atmosphere, one small town decided to erect a statue in honor of the late Regent of Hungary, Admiral Horthy. Horthy ruled Hungary from 1919 to 1944. Under his rule communists, socialist, leftists and Jews were imprisoned, tortured and killed. During his time the first Jewish law of Europe was introduced.  Jews lost their jobs, their properties and finally, many lost their lives. About 600,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps. Here is an excerpt from Horthy’s letter to his prime minister:

“Concerning the Jewish question, I was an ant-Semite all my life, never having any contact with Jews. It is unbearable, that in Hungary, all factories, banks, shops, stores, theaters, news media, etc. are owned by Jews. This projects an impression of Hungarians – especially abroad – as if we were Jews. However, because I consider raising the standard of living as one of the most important task of governing, we must grow our wealth. It is impossible to exchange the Jews, who own everything, – by pompous loudmouths in just one or two years, because we go broke. We need at least a couple of decades to accomplish that. Perhaps I was the first one to advertise anti-Semitism loudly; however, I cannot watch quietly the inhuman, sadistic and unwise humiliations, as long as we still need them.”

This letter was written after a new law limited the number of Jews who were allowed to partake in business, higher education, science and cultural life. Some Hungarian aristocrats, land owners, scientists protested in an open letter, saying they do not consider themselves so utterly talentless that they would need protection from the Jews. Please note the last highlighted part of Horthy’s answer.

When news of the erection of the statue became public, there were a few protesting articles in the still existing liberal media, but the event nevertheless took place. Peter Daniel, an openly liberal lawyer announced that he would pour red paint on the statue. His action will be in protest and showing respect to the many victims of the Horthy regime. It was not the first open and wild action of Daniel. He refuses to be afraid, even though his name and address appear on right wing hate sites on the Internet. He received several threats against his life. One of his parents was Jewish and many of his ancestors were murdered in Auschwitz. Other relatives of his, with no Jewish background, died in the insane war ordered by Horthy’s government.

The picture at the beginning of the post was taken at a soccer game. No action, as of yet, has been taken against Daniel for vandalism. No doubt it will happen. No action, as of yet, has been taken against the people who held the transparent at the soccer game, or against the owner of the soccer club, or against the soccer club. No doubt that they will go unpunished.

Today's news:

As I wrote this, another disturbing piece of news caught my attention. In retaliation of the Horthy statue incident, the statue of Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat, who rescued countless Jews (my grandfather included), was desecrated. Pig feet were hung on it. It is because the ones who erected Horthy were not anti-Semites.




And in conclusion:

I do not agree with Peter Daniel's action. The goal does not justifies the means. But something has to happen, or rather something has to be done, otherwise Hungary would inevitably slide further and further down on a very slippery slope and there will be no way to recover from the place where this road leads, at least not in our lifetime.

For updates on current event in Hungary on a daily basis I recommend to click on the yellow highlight. It is a well written liberal website. HUNGARIAN SPECTRUM