Op 1 en 2 oktober 2013 werd in Boedapest een conferentie gehouden over antisemitisme en het Joodse leven in het hedendaagse Europa, waarbij de politieke situatie in Griekenland, Hongarije, landen van Oost-Europa, Engeland en Frankrijk o.a. aan de orde waren.
Ook Israel’s Minister van Financiën Yair Lapid was aanwezig en sprak voor het Hongaarse Parlement: “Top Israeli minister urges Hungary to combat anti-Semitism” – i24news – October 02nd 2013
Hungarian deputy PM: ‘We know Hungarians were responsible for the Holocaust. It is a huge responsibility’
“Anti-Semitism reared its ugly head in Hungary again, and we know today that we cannot disregard racism, we cannot let it grow,” Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid told the Hungarian Parliament on Tuesday on a visit to participate in a conference called “Jewish Life and anti-Semitism in Contemporary Europe.” …
Video fragment YouTube: “Finance Minister Yair Lapid Speaks at the Hungarian Parliament”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H4dIUX_uKQ
Lapid told the Hungarian MPs his father’s tale of Holocaust survival, while reminding them that 70 years before, the building in which they were seated bore a sign that read “no entry for Jews and dogs.”
“We want to forget, but we cannot,” he said.
“I’m a guest, and guests aren’t supposed to embarrass their hosts, but it would defeat the purpose of this event if we deny the fact that genocide of this scope could not have happened without the active help of tens of thousands of Hungarians and without the silence of millions of others,” Lapid said. “There is a stain on the honor of this house. For years, we all tried to ignore the stain, but history taught us that ignoring is the wrong policy.”
Lapid’s father, Yosef “Tommy” Lapid, lived in the Budapest ghetto during the Nazi occupation, and survived the notorious death marches by escaping during a Russian air raid and hiding in an outhouse.
“We can never, never stop fighting against racism and hatred for justice,” added Lapid. “Wake up every morning and say ’this will never happen again. Jews will not die on the land of Hungary just because they’re Jews.'”
Although 560,000 Jews died in Hungary during the Holocaust, the country is still home to one of the largest and oldest Jewish communities in Europe. The community has seen a resurgence in recent years, alongside a revival of anti-Semitic rhetoric.
The far-right Jobbik party, which holds 43 out of 386 seats in parliament, has publicly voiced disdain for Jews and the state of Israel in its speeches.
Anti-Semitic incidents have also been on the rise. On Sept. 17, neo-Nazis recalled the myth that Nazis made soap out of concentration camp victims by nailing bars of soap to the door of the main synagogue in Szeged, the third-largest city in Hungary.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban strongly denounced anti-Semitism at a meeting with the World Jewish Congress, where the group asked Hungary to do more to combat the rising racist sentiments.
Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics made one of the nations strongest statements on the Holocaust on Tuesday saying, “we cannot allow, especially knowing our own responsibility, anti-Semitism to gain strength in Hungary.”
“We will crack down with legal means if necessary and, while we can, we will make sure through political means that Hungary remains a republic of good men,” added Navracsics. “We know Hungarians were responsible for the Holocaust. Hungarians were perpetrators, and victims. Hungarians were shooting, and dying. It is a huge responsibility we must face in central Europe.”
In an incident in the Hungarian parliament last year, a Jobbik deputy called on Parliament to list all Jews who serve in the body so that their allegiance could be assessed.
As a result, Navracsics announced Tuesday that the government will now allow for class action lawsuits to be filed in certain cases of hate speech while tightening parliamentary speaking rules.
“We have learned from the past. We know what happened and we will not allow it to happen again. This democracy will defend itself against anyone who wants to incite hatred,” concluded Navracsics.
Bron: I24news:Top Israeli minister urges Hungary to combat anti-Semitism http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/131002-lapid-anti-semitism-on-the-rise-in-hungary
ook in het frans: “La Hongrie doit lutter contre l’antisémitisme” http://www.i24news.tv/fr/actu/international/europe/131002-top-ministre-israelien-appelle-la-hongrie-a-lutter-contre-l-antisemitisme
i24news / YouTube – foto: Yair Lapid