November 03, 2008, 8:00 CET
Hungarian police query Slovak counterparts on response to football riot
The government is demanding that Slovak authorities investigate allegations of police violence against Hungarians at a Slovak league football match in the ethnic Hungarian town of Dunajska Streda on Saturday.
Slovak riot police attacked the Hungarian section of the crowd in the first 15 minutes of the game between Dunajska Streda and Slovan Bratislava, leaving more than 60 injured, one severely.
About 500 hardcore fans from Hungary appeared in the Dunajska Streda stadium on Saturday, several of them wearing national scarves with the word Kitartás (Perseverance), a motto of Hungary's fascist Arrow Cross movement in late 1944 and early 1945. Others brandished the Árpád flags associated with that regime.
Hungarian and Slovak soccer supporters exchanged insults before the game and the Hungarians sang the national anthem. Barely 15 minutes later Slovak riot police attacked the sector occupied mostly by Hungarian arrivals, beating spectators and pushing them against the fence. Several people lost consciousness, and one suffered a broken jaw and a concussion.
Reports say Slovak police did not take action against Slovak fans who threw smoke bombs and other missiles, but took tough action against ethnic Hungarians and those arriving from Hungary. Stanislav Jankovic, commander of the police unit, said Hungarian supporters had thrown stones at the police and made crude gestures towards them.
Slovak MP József Berényi told Népszabadság that his Hungarian Coalition Party will demand that police leaders explain their actions to the Bratislava Parliament’s domestic security committee.
The Hungarian football fans were released from police custody on Saturday evening. Five Hungarian policemen who attended the soccer game as observers said the police action was exaggerated.
Some 150 people, including members of the Magyar Gárda, held a protest outside the Slovak embassy in Budapest Saturday evening in response to the incident, and burned a Slovak flag. The government condemned the action and police have stepped up checks in Budapest since Sunday. The Slovak foreign ministry also condemned the demonstration.
Demonstrators appeared outside the Slovak consulate in Békéscsaba on Saturday. The local Jobbik chapter also held a protest.
Earlier on Sunday, Fidesz demanded an inquiry about the legality of the police action. The government also expects an answer as to whether methods used by the Slovak police were justified and proportionate, a spokesman said. The National Police have put the same question to their Slovak counterparts.
Slovak deputy prime minister Dusan Caplovic said he wants to meet Prime Minister's Office leader Péter Kiss to discuss why unidentified people painted the word “Nazis” on signs in ethnic Slovak villages Pilisszántó and Piliszentkereszt, north of Budapest.
Foreign Minister Kinga Göncz discussed the events with her Slovak counterpart Jan Kubis on Sunday.
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so why is it only the far-right people that are protesting this?! (Or their protests are the only ones reported on??) If Hungarians are being attacked for being Hungarian, that's not a concern of the far right, that is ALL of our concern.
Should Hungarians be involved if the people being attacked are football hooligans or farright extremes with arpad flat and arrow cross slogan.
certainly. first of all, even if they were actual hard-core far-righters, they are still human beings who were brutally attacked without provocation. but second of all, like football louts everywhere, they wave those flags more from some childish desire to look scary and tough than from actual, serious political far-right organizations.
but the bigger point is, a group of hungarians being savagely attacked, apparently for the crime of being hungarian, is the concern of all hungarians no matter their political opinions.
If the people are faright extremes wanting fight or to troubel slovak football fans, then I think the police is okay to send a hard message that this people should stay at the home next time. It is not necessary to bring arpad flats and arrow cross symbol to other country. Let football be for fans and not for the politikus or nationalistmus. I want to ask the name who died?
sldick
Fortunately the soccer fan was revived but three times he had died and had to be revived, reports also claim that there was a pile of fans motionless behind the fence and the police casual retreated as nothing had happened. Gutless police atacking defenceless football supporters.
This guy!
http://szentkoronaradio.com:8080/files/lengyelkrisztian.JPG
Okay. Thats good.
Sorry,i said wrong meaning.Good that he didnot die.
As I noticed and Slovak Home Office confirmed it, some of these fans were armed and wearing nazi-symbols and roaring anti-slovak slogans did not come to see football match or enjoy it in peace. They were organized, they were armed. well done Slovak Police
And the Slovak fans were not armed? they were the ones throwing projectiles in there section that stopped the game, if the Hungarian fans were armed then where were the weapons? Just flags and a loud chant is all that were there weapons. Slovak Home Office have no credibility, didn't you see the video of the masked riot police attacking unarmed football fans? Political or not there was no right to attack!!
I saw the video and saw that some Hungarian farights were fat jackets.I also throught that they possible have arms or maybe bombs inside, but you cannot know the next time.But I think this guy Krisztian lengel will not go again.He does not want to die 4 times.
@Slick
Time will tell!! You think he will be as passive as a dove after that expirience of death? NOT!! This would only fuel someone to hate Slovaks oppresion of Hungarians even more!!
Yes,I agree with you.I also think that he will be peaceful like dove,but not because he is dead.I think the Slovak oppresers will keep the Hungarians at home,then there will be no problem.FiFA should investigate,and ban the police from future matches plus a big fine.Football is for the fans.
I laugh scornfully when someone suggests that the Hungarians "get over" Trianon! The consequences of that partition continue to this day, as evidenced by repeated news items out of Slovakia. It's at all levels, from the PM on down to the soccer field. The Slovaks are in a weak position and must feel some angst. They fear we will return someday, somehow. They must wake up in the middle of the night with such worried thoughts! How else to account for all the pettiness that comes out of there?
The ill will hinders economic integration. How are these two neighbors to get along in the EU sponsored neo-liberal economic order? Robust free trade is hardly likely to erupt under these conditions.
For once I'll turn the economic argument upon our "Little Entente" neighbors. You have charge of our people, thanks to the way the boundaries were drawn. Give our Hungarian compatriots peace and prosperity! If you don't we will ask for a plebiscite someday! Create a Slovakia/Romania/Serbia so very prosperous that nobody would want to secede from!
The issue is not settled. It lives in real time, and we will hear other news stories in the future.
Fárkás Lászlo
How true, but does this mean buying land in Slovakia is not recommended ??? Shit how can I get out of my last contract for 100 hectares near Nyitra !!
Hi Ricsi
We have a 1000 years of history up there and a number of our fellow Hungarians. I just don't believe in giving up, no way. "Hard measures" are out of the question. An economic and diplomatic offensive, continued over the long haul, may help us. It may have go on for decades more, but that's history for you. We lost at Trianon 80 some years ago, and that is nothing in the long life of our people. Buying land investments, or making investments in places like Slovakia and Romania carry with it risk. Not taking that risk keeps us out of the game. I believe in showing up for the match, if we are allowed to play. When we were all Soviet block states, we were not allowed to bring up irredentist issues like this. Well the ban on speaking out (and buying) is lifted, and I for one, raise the issue now! I'm sure I won't be only one.
PS I would never dream of advising you to sell or get out of Nyitra! If anything, other Hungarians should be joining you!
I am waiting for our neighbors to screw up in their handling of their Hungarian minorities. I don't want our fellow Magyars to get shit, but if they do, I will make sure things get sticky for our neighbors. This isn't the only place or forum where I will lobby for, and advocate an internationally supervised and approved plebesite for Hungarian majority areas in Slovakia, Romania and Serbia. I at all times particularly fear for the safety of those under Serb rule.
The Slovak govt. has been behaving tactlessly and are digging themselves into a hole if they continue frictions with us. They seem to be even less clever gameplayers than us! I got a great solution for their Hungarian minority "problem": A plebesite in the territory returned to Hungary in 1938!
Dear friends, I have always enjoyed looking through historical atlases, showing the boundary changes over the centuries. Nothing is etched in stone. Keep faith!
Can i ask you why do you think that you have been attcked?Well,the first thing is that all your lovely friends from Hungary has brought lots of knifes and guns to the football....why do you need knifes to watch football...?And how you can burn down someone's flag....?you are disccusting!!!Shame of you!!!! If you will do that anywhere else...you won't be able to step into that country anymore...everyone just taking piss and doing whatever they want in Slovakia...and i am glad that this has happend as at least you will know that next time you don't need knifes to watch football!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get a life Ben!
Crikey, I'm moving to Hungary next week, never been before and know nothing about this animosity between the two countries. What's it all about? Could anyone sum up in a couple of sentences exactly why Slovaks and Hungarians don't get on? Would be much appreciated.
Hello Benjamin
First of all, I want to reassure you. Enjoy your time in Hungary. Sure there is some tension between the two, but much of it is political. This is not going to be like the Serbs and Croats fighting.
In a few sentences you want it?
•Present Slovakia was part of Hungary for 1000 years.
•Hungarians punished by the Allies after WW1. 2/3 of it's territory was given away to reward our neighbors.
•The boundaries drawn left a lot of Hungarians outside of our national boundaries.
•The score was partially settled in 1938 and 1939, when, with Hitlers' intervention, Hungary annexed Czechoslovak territory where Hungarians were predominant. Lasted till 1945. Herein lies some of the reason for the current Slovak paranoia- we came back once before…
•From 1945 to 1989, all such issues were taboo. Hungary had to give up it’s 1938-1941 annexations.
•After 1989, with the Soviets gone, all these old issues resurface.
There is a lot of ill feeling that surfaces in these news stories. I think the solution is a plebesite in the Hungarian dominant areas. Let them vote on which country they want to belong to.
Hello again Benjamin,
Pictures can be very helpful, and so take a look at this youtube footage:
horthy komáromba
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMJwrPSecb0
It depicts the reacquisition of the town of Komárom, with its Hungarian majority. Komárom was placed in Czechoslovakia after 1919, and is separated from Hungary by the Danube. The Hungarian leader Horthy made a ceremonial entrance, amidst a very emotionally charged atmosphere.
I enjoy talking to non-Hungarians who are open- minded about us. Feel free to address any further comments or questions to me!
Football hooligans are football hooligans, no matter what their nationality. Watch the videos on YouTube - these people were not savagely attacked, but were the aggressors. AND of the 31 arrested, 18 were Hungarian fans and 13 Bratislava fans. Get your facts straight, don't believe everything you read, and for God's sake, don't support football hooligans - they're ruining the game for everyone.