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March 5th, 2012

Controversial writer Ákos Kertész seeks political asylum in Canada

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Hungarian writer Akos Kertesz has applied for refugee status in Canada, his press office told MTI in a statement on Sunday.

The statement confirmed reports published on the internet and said that 80-year-old Kertesz, holder of the prestigious Kossuth Prize, had left for Canada on February 29 to seek asylum in the country following a “campaign against him not only in the Budapest city council, where his honorary citizenship was withdrawn but at government level and in parliament as well”.

According to the statement, “the government’s media launched a witch hunt and fueled the extremists … he was subject to constant harassment and threats; he was attacked in the street and he thought his life was in jeopardy.”

Kertesz wrote in the US weekly Amerikai Nepszava on August 29 last year that Hungarians were genetically prone not to take responsibility for their actions.

“Hungarians are genetically subservient … They do not feel the slightest remorse for the gravest of historical crimes, they shift their responsibility to others and always put the blame on others … They are unable or unwilling to learn … they envy and, if possible, kill those who succeed in life through work, learning and innovation.”

The novelist, whose works have been published in several languages, also claimed that now only the Hungarians can be blamed for the Holocaust as the Hungarian nation remained the only one which, unlike the Germans, had failed to admit, confess and repent for their sins.

MTI (Magyar Távirati Iroda) is the Hungarian news agency.
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  • poor

    old and wise man. What a pathetic country where 80 years old mad is forced leave his “homeland”, because he was fearless to speak what was in his mind. And Hungary has the gall to critize foreinger countries about how behave to their own citizens?

    • Georgia

      I think Freedom of Speech just got slapped in the face.

      • Leto.

        I believe your Hungarian-hating “left-liberal” ilk got slapped in the face. :)

        • Devatron

          You’re evil. You sit behind a computer and think this is some kind of soccer game, this is real people getting silenced and their lives destroyed. What if you were in the same position, how would that feel?

          • Leto.

            What “same position”? Like writing about the nation where you live that they are genetically subservient?

            Let’s see how the Canadians will react when he would write that. :D :D :D

          • Devatron

            The Canadians have more outspoken radical politicans and writes then a single sentence taken out of context.

            The difference is Canada would just say, “Hmm, maybe he is wrong, maybe he is right, who cares, let’s go shoot a moose, or have some extra maple syrup on our pancakes.”, and not persecute people for their opinions.

          • Leto.

            I’m looking forward to seeing that. In the meantime let Kertész carry on with his binge-drinking in a colder climate.

          • Anonymous

            “In the meantime let Kertész carry on with his binge-drinking in a colder climate.”

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_assassination

          • Leto.

            Ah, the context of that sentences was given in this article above.

          • Mastershifu

            I agree with you Devatron that people are not realizing this is really peoples lives being destroyed. People fear of speaking up in all segments of society, in the event that they would get an email sent to them that they are fired because it is now possible. The movie V for Vendetta comes to mind when V says to Eve, “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

          • Leto.

            @Anonymous:

            This character is nearly dead anyway. :D Besides Kertész’ alcohilism is a fact.

          • Leto.

            alcoholism

          • Mastershifu

            Leto, you should seek mental health help immediately. You act like this is some kind of computer game on your screen?

          • Mastershifu

            Leto., you are as dirty as they come in regards to propaganda and brainwashing attempts.

          • Leto.

            Mastershifu, you are as rotten as the postcommie slimeballs come in regards to being anti-Hungarian.

          • Mastershifu

            Leto., I’m Fidesz you moron. I still have the respect for Freedom of Speech. You are the kind of person that gives us a bad reputation.

        • Mastershifu

          Leto., I voted Fidesz and come 2014 I will vote Fidesz again. This has nothing to do with communism, or anti-Hungary, it has to do with freedom of speech without being persecuted or smeared.

          • Leto.

            Sure, exactly the same way like I voted MSZP in 2010 and I’ll vote MSZP again. :)

            Kertész enjoyed the freedom of speech. He wrote what he wrote and he bore the consequence, that is his honorary citizenshop revoked. He wasn’t prosecuted even though he should have been. As for his persecution, that’s another thing. If perhaps he was spat on in the street then all I can say: well deserved.

          • Black George

            Freedom of peach is well and alive in Hungary.

            He declared the whole Hungarian nation genetically inferior.

            Remember, this characterisation is not about a time-period, or certain segment of society, it is an absolute judgment, and as such it is an absolutely racist judgment.

            Since he refused apologize, his judgment is not an of the cuff remark. It is a deliberate judgment.

            He was not persecuted by the Hungarian government. The revoking of the Kossuth Prize is not persecution. It is revoking a privilege.

            Are you really surprised if people expressed anger and frustration at him on the street? What did he expect? That people will bow to him as a ‘genetically superior’ human being, the ‘uber mensch’? They too, simply exercised their freedom of speach.

          • Leto.

            Unfortunately the Kossuth Award was not revoked from him. Only the honorary citizenship of Budapest was.

          • Black George

            Thanks for the correction. I remember the discussion about revoking the Kossuth Prize, but I did not realize it did not go through. Too bad.

    • Leto.

      How pathetic that he was forced to write such words: “Hungarians are genetically subservient” for which his honorary citizenship was revoked. :D

      And who forced him to leave? If he stayed in his flat then he could have avoided to face the opionions of these Hungarians in the street.

      • Leto.

        opinions

  • IKE

    … They (Hungarians) do not feel the slightest remorse for the gravest of historical crimes, they shift their responsibility to others and always put the blame on others … They are unable or unwilling to learn …

    I believe this to be accurate and Viktor Orban utilized these characteristics to become constitutional ruler of Hungary. However I do believe that Viktor’s rule will in the end become an updated Treaty of Trianon in the Hungarian psyche. What the Hungarian people can’t and won’t do for themselves the EU and IMF will do for them. Viktor was handed the opportunity to be something especially positive in Hungarian history, but has revealed what a petty, mean spirited and amateurish person he is.

    • Black George

      You see, your issue is you hatred for Orban, and that clouds everything you say. The issue of Kertesz has nothing to do with Orban, it has to do with what he said (did). In Kertesz you have someone who has been recognized for his achievement in furthering Hungarian culture (literature and the arts). This man turns around and calls the WHOLE Hungarian nation genetically inferior, subservient.

      He could have criticised the current government, a political party or the Prime Minister, as you do. But he did not do that. He passed a judgment about the whole nation, and called it genetically inferior. No self-respecting entity (country, organization) would continue to endorse an opinion about someone who after the endorsement turns around and declares it genetically inferior.

      Remember, this characterisation is not about a time-period, or certain segment of society, it is an absolute judgment, and an absolutely racist judgment.

      If this is what he thought from the beginning, and if he is such a ‘principled’ person, why did he accept the prize? He just wanted the money and the fame? When was he spineless then or now?

      • American in Budapest

        Black George,

        It’s called hyperbole. Willful exaggeration to make a point. Is that too difficult or intellectually demanding for you to understand?

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole

        Is your Hungarian education so weak that you have never encountered hyperbole?

  • Leto.

    Another quote from Kertész who lived in WWI, the Stalinist dictatorship, during the ’56 revolution and the retributions:

    -http://dia.pool.pim.hu/html/muvek/BERTHA/bertha00073a/bertha00084/bertha00084.html

    “Politikai félelmem soha nem volt. Félni inkább attól félek, de ez egy más jellegű félelem, hogy átejtenek, nevetségessé válok.”

    I never had fears as for politics. What I’m afraid of, which is a different kind of fear, is that I’d be cheated or I’d be ridiculous.”

    Well, he’s becoming ridiculous indeed. :)

  • Vidra

    I bet Kertész is even more afraid of being ignored than being cheated or ridiculed. Instead FIDESZ makes itself look ridiculous again by lashing out at the man who dared rattle their cage. You should tell your puppet-master to chill out, Leto.

  • Paul

    “where his honorary citizenship was withdrawn “….How,Why and When?

    • Leto.

      1/ With the majority vote of the FIDESZ-KDNP representatives of the Budapest Assembly.
      2/ Because of what wrote and he refused to apologize. See the article
      3/ On the 21st of September, 2011

  • true democracy!

    It is amazing how intolerant and brainwashed the left are. They point out that Kertesz has the right to say what he said. Ok then, how about turning the tables around.

    What would they say if he said that the gypsies of Hungary are ” genetically subservient” ?

    • Black George

      Yes, or why is Kertesz upset, if on the street someone stops him and calls him an a*shole? Why is this ‘harassment’ and not simply an instance of freedom of speech?

    • American in Budapest

      Hey,

      True Stupidity,

      It is called hyperbole. For example, I might assert that Leto brain dead. Is he literaly brain dead? No, because he is typing on his computer in that little apartment where lives.

      That is an example of hyperbole.

      • Leto.

        Another example: I might assert that Obnoxious in Budapest is an American jerk from his mom’s basement. Does he literaly live in his mom’s basement? No, because he might live in a luxury flat in Central European country, far away from his mom who may not be even alive, which he likes calling “backwater country” and he just refuses to crawl back into the rathole he came from in the US (which he likes to call “advanced world”). “Rathole” is another example for a hyperbole here.

  • Aloof

    Leto. says: March 5, 2012 at 10:02 am

    “Attacked for a poor choice of words that were bent by the regime. ”In case someone didn’t know, those “bent words” were: “Hungarians are genetically subservient”. (“A magyar genetikusan alattvaló”) Pure Nazi-speak.

    Aloof says: March 5, 2012 at 12:22 pm
    @Leto
    Knew it. It’s why I purposely added that sentence. I knew you’d hone in on it little comrade, you’re so predictable. Never mind about the other 97% of what was said, he sought out something that could be contended with in his mind. He can’t dispute the rest.

    \genetikus\ in the magyar language little fella means \something indicating derivation, origin, development.\

    \genetikai\ usually followed by \betegség\ translates to \genetic disorder/ disease\

    So you got it wrong again sunshine unless you and OV have already changed the hungarian dictionary to fit the agenda. Maybe \Anonymous\ did it for you, eh?

    Kertesz has consistenlty made it perfectly clear what the magyar language means to him: \I came to this conclusion with grave difficulty because for me the Hungarian language means life. Hungary is my birthplace, my home. I made this painful decision not against Hungary and the Hungarian people with whom I always shared the same fate. I was forced to make this decision because of the current Hungarian government. I hope that one day I will be able to return to a democratic, tolerant, humane Hungary.\

    To be fair \Akos\ didn’t do any justice or favors to his name when he compared his fellow Hungarians to pigs who for the slop the farmer puts in front of them happily grunt, not realizing that they will be killed. (That’s worth a slap upside the head).

    Pretty crude to say the least but at least he said what was on his mind. Should be allowed to do that in the kingdom.

    PS: Just LOVE that idea of floating a bill for employers to re-imburse employees for the cost of using public transportation. That will draw investors in like flies. What dimwit dreamt that up? That’s what I meant about Hungary being an unstable business environment, you just don’t know what they’ll think up next.. precious…

    If you’re going to slam Akos for what he said that’s fine. But he didn’t say what all of you assumed he said. That bad is on all of you, especially Leto. Whether Akos’s “persecution complex” is real or imagined is to be determined by those who actually know. I sure don’t but at least I know what the guy said.

    • Black George

      “But he didn’t say what all of you assumed he said. That bad is on all of you, especially Leto.”

      So, which part of what he said he did not say?

      Oh yes, Akoska (as in Kertesz) did not mean it, because Akoska is a good boy. Well, Akoska could have said so. He could have publicly said that he did not mean to say what he said (which would sound pretty stupid from a professional writer), and he could have explained what he wanted to say. He had ample opportunity. He did not do so. Instead he reiterated what he said.

  • Big Fish

    With such blabbering assertions, Mr Kertesz sounds like anti-hungarian. His seeking asylum is just a publicity stunt.

    • Black George

      @ Bif Fish

      Kertesz is not only anti-Hungarian. He is a racist, spineless person.

      To call a whole nation genetically whatever, let alone subservient or inferior and comparing all its members to pigs, is the definition of racism.

      If this what he thinks about the genetic makeup of the Hungarian nation, then this is not an accidental characterization but a substantial one, which he held already at the time of his reception of the Kossuth award. How could an upright person accept a nation’s highest literary and cultural award when he considers them genetically subservient or inferior? Was it because of the money or fame that came with it? Only a fundamentally spineless person can do something like this.

      • Big Fish

        Might I add that Kertesz sounds like an arrogant, narcissistic whiner. I hope the Hungarian people proudly hold the door open and let him leave. He appears to not add anything constructive to the country. Just another parasite feeding off society.

  • justasking

    With Freedom of Speech comes responsibility, you say something explosive…be prepared for the fall out.

    I am hard pressed to think of any country who’s citizens would not have been pissed off and made it be known to the author, if one of their own had said about them, what Akos did about Hungarians. He deserved to have his Kossuth Prize revoked.

    Contrary to what one of the posters said on this thread about how Canadians would have reacted….I guarantee, if a Canadian citizen, who had been honoured with the Order of Canada, were to stand up and say what Akos said, about Canadians…you would have every MP in Parliament demanding that the Order be revoked, every Liberal and Conservative TV Stations, News programs, Newspapers, slamming him/her, until a heart felt apology was granted to the people of Canada.

    I just wonder, when his claim for political asylum gets denied by the Canadian Government…will that make the news as spectacularly, as his leaving did?

    • Ricsi

      justasking@ He is one of the ‘chosen ones’ (cant use the j.. word here anymore,you get censored! So much for freedom of speech :) ) so claim will be accepted,your Harper loves them more than anybody.

      • JA aka justasking

        @Ricsi,

        What am I missing here? Leave out the guys religion and focus on his actions.

        These are the issues the way I see it:

        1) He participated in an interview with a specific goal in mind…to insult, humiliate and degrade and shed negative light, on a specific group of people…period.

        Is that not the very definition of racism?

        How would this have been any different, if it would have been a Jobbik member standing up and saying the exact same thing, only towards the R*ma community?

        Racism is racism, discrimination is discrimination…or so it should be. Shame on anybody, who participates in condoning selective racism and discrimination.

        I could give 2 shits what Akos’s religion is, for all I care, he could be pink with purple polka dots…and that is what the Canadian Government will be looking at, when he is asked to explain and defend his political asylum claim.

        2)Why Canada? Why not another country in the EU…like Germany, or the Netherlands?

        This to me shows his motive…he’s willing to abuse another countries generosity for his own self gain…to make a political statement.

        So, now when a real political refugees, say like from Syria, are seeking a safe heaven…they will have to wait; because some moron can’t handle the backlash he’s getting from making racist statements.

        3)People like Akos and those individuals seeking false claims in Canada, are the ones who are creating resentment towards Hungary and Hungarians by Canadians.

        Nobody likes their generosity being balled up and thrown back in their faces, nor being taken advantage of.

        PS: I believe our PM is a little busy right now, and will leave false refugee claims made by a shriveled up insignificant individuals, who have nothing to offer Canada, in the hands of our Minister of Immigration, Jason Kenney.

        • Ricsi

          JA @ Please dont be naive,this git is making a big play on the ‘anti-semitism ‘card again,using the ‘guilt’ complex as usual and your Canada will NEVER refuse a ‘chosen’ one,that I guarantee :)

    • Pete H.

      In the US we are a bit more tolerant of our literary figures. Gore Vidal comes to mind and so does Mark Twain. Both have made statements that the simple-minded would dismiss as anti-American. Neither one of these figures was subject to what Kertesz is enduring. Instead we revere them for their outspokenness regarding the fallible American character.

      • Paul

        Writers are supposed to be thought provoking. In the Netherlands we have and had many controversial writers and artists. Many of whom won prestigious prizes .There were heated debates sometimes…”insults” from writers aimed against God, the queen and who knows what…always in a literature context. No one ever thought of revoking awards whatsoever.

        Buuuut…in Hungary an 80 years old award winning writer is apparently fair game.
        So cowardly to see the happiness of some that the poor guy, who seen an awful lot of hate in his life already…and was a victim of it…was attacked or harassed in the streets of Budapest.

  • Georgia

    This might be a bit more interesting than the defamation conducted in this comment section.

    http://esbalogh.typepad.com/hungarianspectrum/2012/03/writer-ákos-kertész-80-is-seeking-political-asylum-in-canada.html

  • Leto.

    For those, who speak Hungarian, Kertész defiantly confirms that “Hungarians are genetically subservient” in this video and he also explains that he thinks “though scientifically one cannot say a nation is genetically like this or that” but he stresses that “it’s perfectly fine to write this metaphorically speaking, in a political essay”

    -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHlffihHJps&feature=related

    • sheesh

      Leto, and you should read all the comments below that clip and be deeply ashamed of yourself and your antisemitic, holocaust-denying rabid Nazi soul mates!!

      • Leto.

        I’m not ashamed at all of what those people whom I consider as my “soul mates” say or write. By definition, I agree to them since “they speak from my soul”.

  • Pete H.

    United States citizens are genetically (in a metaphorical sense) overly materialistic and this has negative consequences for other nations.

    Imagine that!?? I, a US citizen, stated in a public forum that my countrymen are not infallible. Should I be threatened for this?. Should I have an orchestrated smear campaign aimed at me for this? Should I be physically assaulted for this? Am I anti-American for saying this? No, no, no and no of course not.

    Does this mean I don’t love my imperfect country for 10,000 other reasons? Of course not.

    And neither should Kertész be subject to all of the above for a statement he made that criticized Hungarian culture. The Hungarian in me is no less infallible then the Irish and American in me. Hungary, like every other nation, is made up of men not gods and therefore is by nature fallible.

    He should not be considered anti-Hungarian for criticizing his own country. A mature sense of patriotism invites reasoned critics of one’s nation. The reaction to Kertész’s statement has been characterized by political immaturity. He has given far too much too Hungarian culture to be subject to the hateful campaign he is enduring.

    Is Kertész correct? I don’t know. I want to believe it is not true. But, I would rather debate the validity of his claim, then to simply and reflexively attack his claim. Any nation will benefit for a debate of its potential weaknesses.

    • Leto.

      Isn’t Kertész anti-Hungarian?

      Well, then István Csurka should have not been labelled “anti-Se.mitic” either for criticising some people when he wrote (back in 1992) that there’s a group of people (the J*.ws) with built-in genes for the love of money and all falsity related to that.

      • Leto.

        BTW, somehow everybody forgot to ask late Mr. Csurka if he meant this metaphorically speaking or scientifically. Apparently this statement would have been absolutely fine in the former case.

    • Black George

      Lets see: Pete H. is a genetically predisposed subservient (inferior) idiot, who does not know his ass from his elbow.

      Imagine this!!?? I am stating this in a public forum, and I hope you will accept this humbly with a thankful subservient smile, and of course, you will not get angry and you will not argue passively or aggressively against this statement. Does this mean that I am anti-Pete H. for saying this? No, no, no and no of course not.

      And now, to illustrate/prove the above, let us consider your sly little distortions of truth, which cumulatively end up to be a disgusting load of crap of lie.

      “for a statement he made that criticized Hungarian culture”

      He did not only criticize Hungarian culture. He concluded that Hungarians as a people are genetically subservient or inferior. The two are not the same, and you know that.

      “Hungary, like every other nation, is made up of men not gods and therefore is by nature fallible.”

      Nobody argued that Hungarians are gods and/or infallible. So what is your point? He was not addressing some Hungarians. Kertesz talked about ‘the’ Hungarian people as one community, defined by a common genetic makeup.

      “He should not be considered anti-Hungarian for criticizing his own country.”

      He was not considered anti-Hungarian because he criticized his country, and you know this. He IS anti-Hungarian and a self-confessed racist, because he condemned the totality of the Hungarian people, defined by a common genetic makeup.

      “The reaction to Kertész’s statement has been characterized by political immaturity.”

      If so, then you and your genetically predisposed subservient (inferior) idiot cohorts should never again criticize the statements made by members of the Jobbik, in or outside the parliament, and simply accept it as goodwill criticism of minorities in Hungary, and consequently, while you are at it, you should inform Ms. Kroes and her cohorts at the EU about this important insight as well.

      And best for the last:

      “Is Kertész correct? I don’t know.”

      In other words, at first sight, you yourself see nothing wrong what Kertesz’s statement that Hungarians are genetically subservient/inferior nation. So let me slightly correct my initial statement:

      “Pete H. is a genetically predisposed subservient (inferior), and probably racist idiot, who does not know his ass from his elbow.

      • Pete H.

        He did not use the Hungarian word for genetic makeup. See Aloof’s post above. So, your above comment is nothing but verbose nonsense.

        • Leto.

          Spare the cheap talk about “genetikusan” and “genetikailag”.
          He leaves no doubt in this video that “metaphorically speaking” (that is “not scientifically speaking”) he meant our genetic makeup: -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHlffihHJps&feature=related

          • Pete H.

            So many wonderful Hungarians in the world, it’s a shame that the loudest one on this site is so damn ugly.

            Slanderer in Chief, please spare me the cheap repetition of the phrase “genetic makeup”.

            And using the false holocaust analogy above – how low can you go?

          • Leto.

            Please spare me your lying so blatantly like this. I know you speak Hungarian so watch the interview with your hero Kertész.

      • Pete H.

        Let me point out that that Leto and georgie are both making the assumption that I think Kertesz should not be criticized. That was not my point. What has happened to him is beyond rational criticism and has become slander and character assassination. So, in their simple logic they may think this precludes rational criticism of Jobbik. Of course it does not.

        “In other words, at first sight, you yourself see nothing wrong what Kertesz’s statement “. Your words not mine. I have meet both subservient ones (mostly on this site) and those that are not. Whether this is a cultural trait (could not be genetic since Hungarians are not genetically definable) is something that could be debated. The fact that 75 % of Hungarians are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and only 25% of eligible voters support Fidesz, I think is some strong proof that Kertesz is wrong.

  • wolfi

    Pete, it’s to late already …

    leto and his gang have already shown that they are real “Untertanen” – that’s the German translation.

    That is a well known aspect of other nations too – in Germany we also had to many Untertanen, there even is a famous novel with that title, published by Heinrich Mann in 1914 (!).
    -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Untertan

    So after a hundred years you still find that type of people here – but of course not all Hungarians are like that …

  • wolfi

    Correction:

    Though the novel was written before 1914, only a few chapters were published before the start of WW1 – the book itself was only published after the war.

    It perfectly describes the Nationalistic German who wanted a war – and the attributes fit those Fidesz freaks like leto and others here …

    “… he starts vicious rumors against the latter and then dissociates himself from them; he preaches and enforces Christian virtues upon others but lies, cheats, and regularly commits infidelity.

    Diederich’s ideals: blood and iron, and the might of opulent power, are exposed as hollowness and weakness.”

  • Black George

    Other than being a racist, Kertesz is also a liar. He claims that Hungary is the only nation that did not apologize for its role in the Holocaust. This is simply not true. Some facts:

    Hungary officially apologized for its role in the Holocaust on October 4, 1994, when Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs addressed the meeting of the World Jewish Congress as follows: ”The historical experience of 50 years is perhaps enough time for the Hungarian nation to face itself bravely and honestly, just as the Germans were the first to do immediately after the war.” Jewish leaders hailed the statement. (The Holocaust Encyclopaedia, by Walter Laqueur, Judith Tydor Baume, 2011, p. 300)

    In a similar way, on March 9, 2009, the Hungarian government issued an apology for the crimes committed against the Roma in relation to the Roma Holocaust.

    On Feb 23, the Hungarian Government passed a law that criminalized the denial of the Holocaust.

    I am not sure what more could Kertesz ask for (other than to live in Canada).

  • Paul

    “Hungarian writer Akos Kertesz has applied for refugee status in Canada”…and it will be decided if he gets political asylum by the Canadians. If he gets….it will be a fact that this current government is “producing”political refugees. It will be a big shame on the EU also. And within the EU it will not be taken lightly. One more step for VO closer to the EU exit door.

    • Leto.

      On the contrary, if he gets political asylum then that’ll be a big shame on Canada.

  • Aloof

    Well… judging by a lot of comments being made by Canadians on the subject, they don’t want him and appear to be offended that he’s using Canada as a political tool. Canada neither deerves nor wants any of that. If he wants to help take politics out of the matter he should go to Israel.

    • Leto.

      Those Canadians are very sensible people.

  • Aloof

    In this case I’d have to agree. I don’t think anyone would have a problem with a jew going to Israel.

  • Godbluff

    The US used to be a free country. Back in the old days.
    You could say that you’re “more popular than Jesus”, without any consequences, right?
    Wrong.
    The religious nuts – victims of inbreeding and the total failure of the US educational system – mixed up “more popular” with “better” and showed their “righteous anger” in noisy demonstrations, boycots, concert cancellations, and bonfires of Beatles records and memorabilia.
    There’s free spech for you, straight from the “land of the free”.

    • Leto.

      I gather you mean here that Mr. Kertész only exercised his right to free speech. Do you agree that Mr. Csurka did that in 1992, too? (See my post at March 5, 2012 at 10:43 pm)

  • Leto.

    One sentence about tyranny from demented Ákos Kertész:

    “Where there’s tyranny, there are two sinners: the tyrant and the subject.”

    („Ahol zsarnokság van, ott két bűnös van, a zsarnok és az alattvaló.”)

    -http://www.nepszava.hu/articles/article.php?id=527850

    So now let’s apply his very deep thought so that perhaps even he and his sympathisers could understand it, too :

    The J.e-ws are also to blame because of Nazism, racism and the Holocaust.

    :D

    • SE aka Szabad Ember

      @Leto

      I know how much you love to insult minorities; your post was just a chance to do so. I’ll refute your point anyway.

      Yes, just like in most car crashes, both or all participants share in some portion of the blame. In the case you mention, the victims have to take a small part of the blame for not fighting back hard enough; still, the vast majority of the blame goes to the perpetrators.

      In the case of Hungary, the vast majority of the blame for Fidesz’s destruction of democracy and the economy goes to Orbán, but the Hungarian people allowed themselves to be fooled, or didn’t fight hard enough to stop him. The more destruction he’s allowed to wreak, the more of the blame goes to the victims, the Hungarian people.

      • Leto.

        And I know how much your rotten lot loves to insult Hungarians. Like this Kertész.

        Ah, using your own words: the more destruction the Nazis were allowed to wreak, the more of the blame went to the victims of the Holocaust.

        Carry on digging in the hole you’re in, postcommie.

        • Szabad Ember

          @Leto

          Unlike you, who is only willing to blame others for all of his troubles, a responsible person accepts a measure (however small) of blame for not standing up for himself, or for not preparing for the defense of democracy.

          I never said that the blame went up in tandem; I would say that the percentage of blame assigned to victims goes down as the persecution goes up. In some cases, it could go away entirely, if it becomes clear that no matter what the victim did, the zeal of the oppressor would’ve been too strong to even delay it. That concept is either too complicated for you to understand, or you prefer to pretend that you don’t, in order to continue your lying. Either way, I’m not in any hole;, I’m on the moral and rhetorical high ground, with a great view of your position in the gutter.

          By the way, when have I ever insulted Hungarians? You like to think that I’m the same as everyone else who tortures you with logic that exposes your BS, but I don’t necessarily agree with them in any way except that you don’t know much of anything, and have no substantive arguments to speak of.

          Besides, Hungarians insult each other every day (I can’t help but hear it all the time), and Kertész is a Hungarian, like it or not, so he has every right to do so, as well. I’ve even read where you insult Hungarians, by saying things like we’re too stupid to see through Orbán’s lies, so stop being such a hypocrite.

          • Leto.

            “I’m on the moral and rhetorical high ground”

            No, I think I’ll have to change my mind. This is the Joke of the Day! :D

            A lowlife rotten postcommie bastard declares himself to be on “the moral and rhetorical high ground”. That’s jolly good indeed, simply hilarious. :D :D

          • Szabad Ember

            @Leto

            What’s hilarious is that you can’t refute it at all, so you try to laugh it off. Keep laughing, you’re only proving my point.

          • Black George

            Do you, then, agree with Leto’s point that: “The J.e-ws are also to blame because of Nazism, racism and the Holocaust”?

          • Szabad Ember

            @Black George

            I already wrote here that I agree that many of the victims of the Holocaust may deserve some tiny part of the blame for what happened to them, because they could have fought back harder. There were some who were completely blameless, of course, including all the children and others who couldn’t fight back, or who fought back as hard as they could.

            Virtually all the blame, though rests with the oppressor and murderer, so this is really just a philosophical matter.

          • Black George

            @ szabad

            Ok, I will draw it for you.

            This what Kertesz says:
            “Where there’s tyranny, there are two sinners: the tyrant and the subject.”

            This is what you say:
            “Virtually all the blame … rests with the oppressor and murderer.” (Hint: This, of course, means that virtually none of the blame rests with the subject.)

            In your expert opinion, are these two quoted statements the same?

            p.s.: If I were you, I would not say that being in the concentration camp for the victims of tyranny was “really just a philosophical matter.”

          • SE aka Szabad Ember

            @Black George

            If you really think that I meant that the “philosophical matter” is the actual time spent in the concentration camps, then you’re dumber than you sound. I’m hoping that you’re just pretending, in order to make some kind of point.

            The philosophical matter to which I referred, and which is the point of your question, is the matter of blame. Since virtually all the blame lies with the people who rounded up innocents and put them in concentration camps, any minute amount of blame that may rest with some of the victims is merely a matter of philosophical debate. Any neutral court anywhere in the world would quickly assign all blame to the perpetrators of the huge massacre in question, since it was murder, but Kertész’s point was that people should recognize that tyranny should be resisted, otherwise it will continue unabated. That point is too fine for your understanding, I guess.

            You wrote: “Hint: This, of course, means that virtually none of the blame rests with the subject.”

            I guess you didn’t understand the part of my post where I wrote: “many of the victims of the Holocaust may deserve some tiny part of the blame.”

            Hint: Virtually none = some tiny part

            You should consider taking reading comprehension classes if you miss a sentence such as this that is so important to the meaning of the entire post.

  • Frankly Franklin

    I dislike what the man said, and I think I would be offended by it. I am, however, unsurprised that he m,ay have been assaulted. I am also suspicious that his economic livelihood and legal integrity may have come under official assault, but we will not know until his application is granted or rejected and the record made public.

    In the mean time, I am also unsurprised to see so much internet tough-guy talk in these threads. Typical.

  • Leto.

    MAZSIHISZ (Alliance of Hungarian Je-wi.sh Faith Communes)
    issued this statement today:

    -http://www.nepszava.hu/articles/article.php?id=528141

    The interesting bits are:

    “The fact that Ákos Kertész emigrated to Canada calls attention to where Hungary ended up because of the louder and louder anti-Se.mitis.m”

    “the conservative majority in the Budapest Assembly deprived Ákos Kertész of his honorary citizenship also because of anti-Je.wi-sh sentiments, ”

    Well, this is the time definitely for any Je-wi.sh person in Hungary to speak up if they do identify with these allegations and with MAZSIHISZ chairman Gustáv Zoltai, an ex-member of Munkásőrség (communist militia set up after 1956), who probably signed this communique.

  • spectator

    As a matter of fact, I look forward to see Comrade Schmitt emigrating somewhere, rather sooner than later.

    If someone humiliating Hungary and the Hungarians is such a President who haven’t got a stamina to stand up publicly, and either clear his name, or step down.
    In my opinion hiding cowardly is much more shameful, than expressing your opinion – whatever could that be – and keeping your head straight and high.

    - As long as you have it in place, that is.

    The really sad thing is, that there are people, who think, that this is the right thing, what happened with Mr.Kertész, because hi is an “enemy”.

    You keep on this way, and pretty soon more and more turns out to be an “enemy”, and then, there is no way back.

    Not to mention, that the time will come, when it will be your turn, to become the “enemy” – what are you gonna do then?

    • Paul

      There are by now…an overwhelming amount of enemies apparently…most of them are make believe enemies.
      I wonder what kind of literature will be published in the future in Hungary? Once they chased away all the controversial writers.

  • Paul

    By the way…what happened to the Imre Nagy award?
    The guy was executed!!!

  • Andy

    Kertész Ákos is wrong. People of all nationalities can be genetically stupid. It appears many Hungarians have successfully aped (some) Americans with their slavish flag-waving and thought-terminating anti-[country] cliches.

    Do you people have any reading comprehension skills whatsoever?

    • mchungary

      This comment section is for spouting unfactual truths, in an effort to lower our IQ quota. Welcome to Politics.hu.

    • Leto.

      This was a particularly juicy post from this Slovak who once wrote here that “Czechoslovakia made a big historical mistake when not all the Hungarians in Felvidék were expelled after WWII”

      • Andy

        I think you have me confused.

  • István

    Well, Leto drága, your posts do little to dispel the apalling image depicted by Kertész. You are one of those Hungarians who, for all that indignation displayed, welcome Kertész’s words as a gift from heaven. From now on, those words, born out of one man’n desperation and disgust, can be used as an “excuse” for all that massive racist-chauvinist hatred and stupidity that you and your ilk have immersed Hungary for many years now. While Kertész’s words were not at all wise, and accordingly, not at all cheered by the leftist camp, metaphors and summative generalizations far worse, targeting Jews, Romas, Gays and supporters of the Left-wing are business as usual in the right wing media. So just keep your fake indignation for your hypocritical self. I’m a Hungarian from Transilvania, who lived for almost 20 years in Budapest before opting to move on. My motivation to leave Hungary and my feelings about my own folks are very much the same as those of Kertész’s. These days I’m ashamed to be a Hungarian because of people like you, who do everything to make the Hungarian nation the most despicable in Europe.

    • Leto.

      Even if you happen to be a Transylvanian Hungarian (I’ve got very serious doubts about that but you never know), please feel free to be a Rumanian or whatever you want to be and go to hell from Hungary, please. Thanks a lot.

      • Szabad Ember

        @Leto

        Good job, you hypocrite. Calling other Hungarians names seems to be the only other thing you do with regularity, apart from lying, and you don’t even have a legitimate basis for doing so. Kertész at least gave a rational reason for his name-calling and insults towards Hungarians. Now you’re part of the reason why decent, intelligent, hard-working people are fleeing from Hungary in droves. That’ll only hasten help the population shrinkage, but you don’t care, as long as every person who disagrees with you is driven from the country, along with their money and hard work.

  • DoubleH63

    @István

    “lived for almost 20 years in Budapest before opting to move on”

    Where did you move to you szőröstalpú cigány, Canada perhaps?

    • Szabad Ember

      @Double63

      Wow, not only did you assume István was a Roma, you had to come up with an offensive name for him! You are so impressive! I’m sure you will now just have to sit back and wait for all the young, pretty women to flock to your cave and sign up to be part of your Jobbik cult, while shaving the soles of your feet.

      Of course, any ethnic Hungarian who moved to Budapest from Romania but found that he/she was not welcome there must be a Roma, in your mind. The fact is that many ethnic Hungarians from Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania, etc. are rudely greeted in Hungary with jokes and mocking once some “tiszta magyar” hears their distinctive accents. You right-wing extremists are all love and brotherhood as long as they don’t dare to move to this country and get a job. You’re just showing your true colors, here and elsewhere, and are not a true Hungarian patriot.

  • DoubleH63

    @Leto.

    This Andy is not the ‘drótostót andy’. This one is the ‘zsidó Andy’.

    • Leto.

      Ah, sorry, I thought there’s only one Andy and that’s a chauvinist drótostót.

  • Leto.

    All Andy’s are scumbags.

    • Leto

      A fake post again. (Though I actually agree as far as these two Andys are concerned.)

      • Bringer of Truth

        Leto, if you have to keep telling people how real you and your comments are, its probably because you’re fake.

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