Fidesz MP accused of anti-Semitic mockery

Left-wing commentators interpret a Fidesz MP’s joke as anti-Semitic. Pro-government pundits think that the accusations are exaggerated and politically motivated.

Fidesz MP János Pócs posted on Facebook a photo depicting a slain pig with an inscription on it that may be read as either “It was his turn” or “This was Soros”. Mr Pócs wrote “One pig less. Bon appetit” next to the photo. Left-wing intellectuals accused Mr Pócs in an open letter of fomenting anti-Semitic hatred and demanded his resignation. Mr Pócs denied that the inscription on the photo and his comments referred to George Soros.

In Repost, Attila Székely labels the left-wing accusations as politically motivated. The right-wing blogger finds Mr Pócs’s joke clumsy, but also thinks that the public uproar is overblown. Székely suspects that a whole network of left-wingers keep monitoring the activity of government politicians in order to identify any instances that they can use to accuse Fidesz of all kinds of nasty sport.

In the absence of a credible programme, the opposition parties engage in ridiculous stunts to weaken the government, Gyula T. Máté comments on Pesti Srácok. Máté contends that even if the inscription refers to George Soros, the posting of the photo is nothing more than a joke that does not threaten anyone.

In Népszava, György Sebes finds absurd Mr Pócs’s claim that he had no intention to mock George Soros. The left-wing commentator interprets the case as clear proof that the government’s anti-Soros campaign can indeed incite hatred.

Magyar Nemzet’s Albert Gazda also sees the photo as an example of how the government’s anti-Soros campaign poisons everyday discourse and perceptions. The moderate pundit adds that the incident is less than important, but it nonetheless illustrates worrying tendencies in Hungarian society.

In Heti Válasz, András Stumpf agrees that Mr Pócs’s attempt at humour is nauseating, and even compares the tools of the government’s anti-Soros campaign to those ‘used by  Goebbels’. But however stupid and tasteless, Mr Pócs’s joke has nothing to do with anti-Semitism, the conservative columnist concludes.

Tags: anti-Semitism