US lawmakers call on Hungary’s Orbán to condemn anti-semitism

@Csaba

Interesting letter – few comments.

A country that confuses “free speech” with “hate speech” ought not be overly offended by what JOBBIK has to say. It would be more appropriate for the Canadian PM to object to the regular JOBBIK garbage aka “free speech” but then again, he does not interfere with Hungary’s sovereignty. (North American journalists are horrified by JOBBIK and luckily there is no shortage of negative comments but that’s called freedom of the press because they do not represent a government)

You also mention that “The letter fails to state what the Prime Minister needs to do. ” – your premise is that the US ought not put its nose in Hungary’s business, yet the letter should offer pointers on what he needs to do? That would be even more insulting as far as I am concerned.

If those 50 Congressmen are bored and have no more letters to write yet still in the “outrage and interference mode”, perhaps they could write to the Slovakian and Romanian governments about their treatment of ethnic Hungarian minorities within their borders.

Pete H.,

Few of those 50 congressmen know anything about Hungary. Probably many of them could not find it in a map of Europe. They are acting on the behest of the ADL, which itself is an extremist organisation. It is also the ADL which publishes these ridiculous polls about how “anti-Semitic” people are. Basically, it is “anti-Semitic” in these polls if you think Jews have disproportionate power. Note that in American universities, white non-Jewish men are always targeted for having had too much power historically, but this is okay, and it is not tolerated for groups to go around claiming anti-English or anti-German hatred. The ADL is also something of an intelligence organisation, which is another story.

In short, don’t be on their side, they are not your friend, nor do they care about a real friendship of peoples. Rather, they are an ethnic nationalist group complaining about, and trying to basically ban, all other forms of ethnic nationalism!!!

@ Pete H

re: “Hate speech is not free speech. ”

Really, who knew?

Hungary has hate speech laws and so does Canada. The US does not. Hungary and Canada have H.olocuast Denial Laws. The US does not.

First paragraph from a NY Times article:

‘The Harm in Hate Speech,’ by Jeremy Waldron

By MICHAEL W. McCONNELL

Published: June 22, 2012

The United States is almost alone among Western liberal democracies in not punishing what is called hate speech — oral or written messages that “incite hatred” against a person or group on the basis of their race, religion, sex, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Canada, Britain, Denmark, Germany and New Zealand have such laws, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights purports to require signatory nations to pass them. In the American constitutional tradition, by contrast, even detestable speech is permitted so long as the speaker does not threaten violence or incite others to it. The Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to engage in hateful picketing of military funerals in opposition to toleration of homosexuality (“God Hates Fags,” one sign said) is a ready example. That case would almost certainly have come out differently in other liberal democracies. ”

Thus, I am very concerned about the ” USA’s JOBBIK crowd” hiding behind the First Amendment to spew their own
brand of hatred against minorities. I would ask our PM to voice his outrage but unfortunately he does not interfere in USA’s internal politics.

if one confuses \Free speech\ with \hate speech\, incitement and calls for minority extermination then
there is something basically wrong with understanding
of what \free speech\ means…

Hungarys government,courts and schools are called
upon to make this clear to the general population..

if they know