Documentos

The other Hungary

The press is still showing us the image of the second most important Hungarian city, Miskolc, that demonstrates against the gypsy community with intimidating slogans such as “we won’t leave them in peace” (see).  This radicalism finds shelter in the Magyar country’s law through the political propaganda promoted by the neo-Nazi Gabor Vona that offers a portrait of this “other Hungary”. This attitude is adopted not only against their own gypsy people but also against the majority of Hungarian people who wish to live in a pacific and respectful way helping the most disadvantaged ones.

In particular, we had the opportunity of visiting a part of Hungary where we could personally verify the clear support that many local and regional authorities have towards the gypsy community. With the collaboration of their own gypsy organizations, they don’t hesitate in planning the necessary tools in order to promote different initiatives that contribute to improve their living conditions and their future perspectives giving a particular attention to the youngest people.

Obviously, we know that this situation is not spread all over the country, principally in those regions and towns influenced by Jobbik. The conflicts we know start in these places, such as the events happened in Gyöngyöspata during the month of March 2011 (see) or the different attacks that provoked mortal victims carried out by members of the illegal paramilitary organization Hungarian Guard Movement, sheltered by Gabor Vona.

The mass manifestation organized against the largest ethnic minority of Hungary forces us to give importance to these events. The opportunistic speeches pronounced against the gypsy people in this moment of crisis, together with the discourses in “Aryan” style made by Gabor Vona, remember us the actions that Hitler carried out. As a matter of facts, he succeeded in taking advantage of a particular difficult moment in order to be voted by the majority of the German population that, because of its general discontent, was tempted by a nationalist and selective feeling.

We all think that a similar situation will never happen again. However these people have the ability and opportunism of taking advantage of the social and governamental weaknesses; this can upset the political forces and realize the ambitions of the most radical parties. This is what happened in Germany with Hitler and what could also happen if Gabor Vona and his party had the opportunity.

Nowadays the Jobbik political party has almost the 12% of the seats in Parliament and its supporters form this “other Hungary” that focuses the discontent of some citiziens and that calms its frustration attacking the most defenceless group of that country.

In comparison to the rest of Europe, Hungary has been suffering a deep crisis for a long time and people accuse the gypsy community of provoking it.

However the situation of Hungarian gypsy community is going to change because always more associative movements are arising and they don’t get scared but on the contrary they face the problem. They reclaim political measures in order to obtain a real equality in comparison with the rest of the society.

This is what happened in Miskolc with a manifestation organized at the same time as the Jobbik one. We have to act all together in these circumstances and solve the situation in order to fight against all those wish to isolate us.