Hungary's ombudsman for minorities Erno Kallai on Tuesday proposed an amendment to the equal opportunities act as a way of sanctioning hate speech.

Stand-alone bills on hate speech have crumbled before Parliament or the Constitutional Court, but incorporating measures into the existing laws could be an effective way of taking action against extremist, racist and segregating incidents, Kallai told the press.

The amendment would penalise anyone making a public speech or publishing material in the media whose content incites to hatred, he added.

Kallai plans to discuss the proposal with the Justice Ministry next week.

Legislation on hate speech passed by the governing Socialist party did not have the support of any other party. The bill was sent to Constitutional Court by President Laszlo Solyom and was rejected in a June ruling. The court said it would excessively curtail the right to freedom of speech.

Under current Hungarian law, a person specifically targeted by hate speech may file a civil suit, but as long as the speech remains abstract, not mentioning any specific individual, there is no legal recourse. The new law would have permitted criminal action when inciting speech targeted a minority group.