The far-Right party in the Hungarian parliament has called for camps detaining Gypsies, "if necessary for life".
This is in the midst of a Europe-wide backlash against Gypsies following population movements, particularly to Italy and France, after Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia joined the European Union.
According to the Telegraph:
" Jobbik party, the third largest in Parliament, proposed that Gypsies considered a threat to public order should be transferred to secure camps outside cities, warning that "civil war" could erupt unless the issue was tackled.
The governing Fidesz party branded the idea "outrageous", saying the solution was "not to set up ghettos, but to have strict laws and a strong police force".
A spokesman for the Hungarian Socialist Party said the call for camps was "reminiscent of the Nazi agenda for concentration camps 65 years ago". "
The latter are referencing ‘Gypsy Clean-up Week’ which took place throughout Germany in June 1938, in which Roma and Sinti men, women and children were targeted for persecution, hatred and imprisonment. The Sinti are another Romani people. Django Reinhardt, the great Jazz guitarist, was Sinti.
As to this case... how like the far-Right to be the ones to set expectations of violence - salivating at the prospect that some thugs will do their thing so they can say "You see? You see? I told ya so... The Gypsies and our opponents only have themselves to blame!".
They're so predictable.
Jobbik means "better and Right", and they describe themselves as a "radically patriotic Christian party" (oh great...) who were founded in 2002 as "the Right-Wing Youth Association", and gained support partly because there was another Right wing mob who are even worse: Magyar Igazság és Élet Pártja (MIEP) - Hungarian Justice and Life Party, who are racial Nationalists.
Jobbik's 2009 election slogan was “Hungary belongs to the Hungarians”. They have had co-operative talks with the British National Front.
I think we're seeing a worldwide epidemic of hate under various guises - religious, political, whatever. But it all boils down to hate.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in friends.
ReplyDeleteMuch of this upswell of hate is down to movements of population, and other changes, as globalisation takes hold.
When the Cold War ended everyone in the West was too busy patting themselves on the back to see this coming.
Thank you Magpie for prompting me to do the lazyman's research at wikipedia to at least learn a little about Gypsies. They certainly have made a long, rough journey over the years. Hard to believe all these petty prejudices still exist.
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