Liberal and left-wing commentators accuse Prime Minister Orbán of racism for publicly criticizing a court ruling granting compensation to Roma families whose children were enrolled in separate classes to non-Roma children. Pro-government columnists agree with the Prime Minister and find the ruling outrageous. READ MORE
A left-wing columnist criticizes the government’s amendments to the public education act. A conservative pundit contends that bureaucratic efforts to integrate disadvantaged children are doomed to fail. READ MORE
A liberal human rights activist welcomes the police’s decision not to allow a march by two extreme-right paramilitary groups in protest against what they call ‘Gypsy terror’. READ MORE
A conservative columnist thinks that all parties since 1990 have neglected the plight of the Roma, and calls for a census to identify the main problems Roma face. READ MORE
A conservative columnist and two Roma rights activists agree that Roma intellectuals have a crucial role to play in the integration of Roma. They also think that some left-wing liberal integration strategies have been less than productive. READ MORE
Both a pro-government commentator and a liberal analyst doubt if Jobbik leader Gábor Vona can convincingly distance himself and his party from Jobbik’s earlier extremist statements concerning Jews and Roma. READ MORE
After a prominent Jobbik MP suggested that people who have not completed eight years of basic schooling should not be allowed to vote, commentators agree that the proposal is out of touch with modern times, but might be revealing about just how far Jobbik’s move to the centre has gone. READ MORE
A conservative Roma rights activist welcomes the government’s proposal to introduce a mandatory pre-school year to help the integration of children from poor families. READ MORE
A Roma rights activist accuses the government of trying to blackmail Roma to vote at the quota referendum, whilst using anti-Romani stereotypes to mobilize non-Roma. A regional Gypsy leader, on the other hand argues that the arrival of masses of migrants would represent a threat to Roma communities. READ MORE