State President László Sólyom called the Hungarian Guard’s (Magyar Gárda) weekend demonstration “anti-Gypsy” and rejected the “Nazi ideology” expressed by a speaker from Jobbik, the far-right party behind the guard, which formed at the end of this past summer. The speaker at the march stated that the Roma community possessed negative traits that were ethnically, racially, or biologically based. Around 300 members of the Hungarian Guard and the National Guard Troop (Nemzeti Őrsereg) – a similar group from the northeastern Nyírség region – staged a demonstration in Tatárszentgyörgy, Pest County, Sunday afternoon. Organizers of the event claimed that the aim of the demonstration was to raise awareness of the problems created by “Gypsy crime.” Sólyom released his statement following requests from ombudsmen that he clarify his opinion on the matter.
“We have an obligation to contrast our own values with those of these movements and organizations,” FigyelőNet Sólyom wrote. “No well-intentioned person can tolerate affronts to human dignity or question our equal rights.”
Sólyom added that what is needed for the sake of Hungary’s future are peace, openness and a willingness to work together, both on the part of the majority of society and the Gypsy minority. The president added that a march such as this works against integrating Gypsies into society.
The president also ensured Minority Ombudsman Ernő Kállai of his support. “The basis of a Democratic state is validating and protecting rights, and ensuring freedom for everyone. The same way, you can count on me to support steps aimed at solving the social situation of the Gypsy people,” he wrote. Kállai had earlier contacted public dignitaries by letter to ask them to express their opinion on the Hungarian Guard.
Jobbik chairman Gábor Vona sought a personal audience with Sólyom on the controversy surrounding the Gárda, but the President rejected such a meeting, wrote daily Magyar Hírlap. The parliamentary parties, government, civil groups and national Gypsy organizations have echoed the president’s statements.
Zoltán Lomnici, the president of Hungary’s Supreme Court declared in an open letter that it is unacceptable to single out the Roma minority, or to try and strike fear into their hearts, wrote Duna TV. He continued that unity was the best form of opposition to radical viewpoints, before adding that laws on civil rights should be reviewed and made more effective against those who wish to harm society.
The launch of the Hungarian Guard this August was met with protests from the government and the Left, while the parliamentary Right expressed some awkward statements that did not support the Guard, but also did not condemn it, instead asking people to wait and see what the Guard would do. Launched ostensibly as a cultural organization, this latest action by the Guard has earned it across-the-board censure, including from those who hesitated to do so earlier this year. While the group has planned another march for this Friday afternoon in Kerepes, Pest County, it remains to be seen if permission for the march will be revoked, and what future lies ahead for the organization.
