Amid protests, Hungarian far-right party unveils bust of Nazi-allied wartime leader

The United States on Thursday strongly condemned a far-right party for unveiling a statue of wartime leader Miklos Horthy, who allied Hungary with Nazi Germany, an event which stoked concerns about a wave of anti-Semitism in the country.
The Jobbik party unveiled the statue on Sunday in Budapest.
“Those who organised and participated in the event, including members of Hungary’s parliament, promoted not only their own intolerance, but also a dramatically negative image of Hungary,” the U.S. embassy said in an e-mailed statement.
“Although the significant number of counter-demonstrators showed there is strong opposition to the organizers’ views, and members of the Hungarian government have expressed disapproval, an event such as this requires swift, decisive, unequivocal condemnation by Hungary’s highest ranking leaders,” the statement said.
The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s centre-right Fidesz party has acknowledged Hungarians had a role in the Holocaust and pledged a policy of zero tolerance against racial hatred and anti-Semitism.
Hungary still has one of the largest and oldest Jewish communities in Europe, mostly in the capital.
But while there is a revival of Jewish culture, the far-right has remained strong and anti-Semitism, as well as hatred toward other minorities like homosexuals or Roma, is still a serious problem.
Jobbik has vilified Jews and Israel in parliament, where it is the third-biggest party. It is set to win 8-9 percent of the vote at parliamentary elections next April or May, according to the latest opinion polls.

more: Haaretz