Official statement of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (Mazsihisz).
The Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (Mazsihisz) considers the plan to erect a memorial plaque in Szeged to Miklós Horthy unacceptable since he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian citizens.
According to the planned ceremony, Béla Mihálffy, a member of parliament of the ruling coalition, would hold a speach at the inauguration.
Mazsihisz draws the attention of the Fidesz-KDNP parliamentary group that the position of a member of their group is contrary to the principle of zero tolerance against antisemitism of the Government and therefore asks the competent authorities to prevent the inauguration of the plaque.
Only a few weeks after the statue of Miklós Horthy was improperly placed in the Hungarian Parliament. Unfortunately, the Mazsihisz must now once again raise its voice against yet another manifestation of the Horthy cult – unfortunately present in the society.
As reported in the Hungarian (national) press, a day-long event will be organised in Szeged on 15 October in honour of Horthy, and a memorial plaque will be erected honouring the former governor of Hungary, whose antisemitic conviction was well-known and was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian citizens during the war.
Mazsihisz cannot accept that Béla Mihálffy, an MP of the ruling coalition parliamentary group, is preparing to give a speech in Szeged in honour of the antisemitic ex-governor.
Our Federation draws the attention of all members of the Fidesz-KDNP parliamentary group to the fact that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán himself has rightfully proclaimed zero tolerance against anti-Semitism, in accordance with the norms of the civilised world.
Mazsihisz calls on the government and the representatives of the Fidesz-KDNP faction to prevent the inauguration of the memorial plaque and not to give the representative of the government coalition the opportunity to pay tribute to politician with antisemitic conviction.
A tribute to Horthy on behalf of a party in government is unacceptable and unforgivable.
If the above request of the Mazsihisz, representing the Hungarian Jewish community, is not heeded, the proclaimed principle of zero tolerance can only be seen as a political gesture, nothing more. We hope that this is not the case, and that the leaders of the state, government and parliament will do everything they can to prevent another manifestation of the Horthy cult and the desecration of the memory of hundreds of thousands of martyrs.
We ask all members of the ruling coalition to respect the words of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pronounced in the Hungarian Parliament in 2015: ‘The erection of a statue to a political leader in power at the time of the loss of Hungary’s sovereignty as defined by the Constitution – cannot be supported’.
