Hóman remembered for both his merits and his sins

A pro-government writer admits that monuments to historic heroes should only be erected after a thorough public debate on their merits and faults.

In Mandiner, poet and Fidesz MP László L. Simon introduces a new volume of essays on Bálint Hóman, an outstanding historian who played a negative role by supporting anti-Jewish legislation but was then falsely accused of war crimes, condemned as a war criminal and died in jail because the authorities refused to treat his heart disease. He was recently rehabilitated by a court ruling. Earlier, an NGO attempted to erect a statue of him in Székesfehérvár, but the attempt was foiled by protests inside Hungary and beyond, with then US President Obama also raising his voice against the statue. (See BudaPost, January 30,2016) Simon thinks Hóman would deserve a statue, despite his admittedly controversial traits and even sins, but the issue should have been thoroughly discussed in public beforehand. He urges the right-wing press and conservative intellectuals to express their views on such issues, otherwise they might eventually ‘remain silent even on King Saint Stephen’. Simon strongly condemns the decision of the newly elected Mayor of Budapest to halt the erection of a statue of St Stephen in a section of the park named after him.

Tags: culture wars, history