Commenting on a recent study on anti-Semitism and xenophobia, a centrist columnist thinks that many Hungarians have misgivings against minority groups in general, rather than Jews in particular. READ MORE
Commenting on a foiled initiative to unveil the bust of a pre-war right-wing politician, left-wing commentators accuse the government of indulging in a cult of racist personalities. Their pro-government counterpart denies the allegation that György Donáth was an anti-Semite, while an independent conservative author calls on the opposing sides to show more tolerance towards each other. READ MORE
Commenting on President Obama’s remarks on how the United States acted to prevent the erection of a statue to interwar Culture Minister Bálint Hóman, a left-wing newspaper calls the government’s attitude shameful, while a pro-government daily quotes an official statement denying that the government yielded to foreign pressure in scrapping the project. READ MORE
Besides welcoming the unprecedented success of a Hungarian film, commentators ponder the Prime Minister’s message of congratulations, and the anti-Semitic comments posted by readers of Mr Orbán’s Facebook page.
As a Facebook commenter is sentenced to pay a high fine or go to prison for Holocaust denial, commentators wonder whether sanctioning hate speech makes sense as a means of fighting anti-Semitism. READ MORE
The leading left-wing daily criticizes plans to honour the memory of historian Bálint Hóman, who as Minister of Education and Religion under Regent Miklos Horthy was actively involved in anti-Semitic legislation. READ MORE
As Jobbik leader Gábor Vona promises to prune out racist elements from his party, columnists wonder if Jobbik can be transformed into a moderate party without losing the support of its radical core. READ MORE
A liberal commentator believes that Fidesz is about to launch a major campaign against Jobbik. A pro-government columnist fears that Jobbik is a real threat to the country, while another liberal pundit contends that Jobbik is a joke rather than a credible alternative to the current centre-right government. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator thinks Prime Minister Orbán should have attended the commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. A right-wing analyst quotes his words, admitting Hungary’s guilt for the Holocaust. READ MORE
Columnists from both left and right express their disappointment that in contemporary Hungary the mayor of a small municipality can gain public attention through staging an idiotic and nonsensical, but at the same time potentially harmful anti-Semitic performance. READ MORE