Europe’s Selective Outrage about Anti-Semitism
For evidence that such comments are hardly unusual for Molnar, see veteran Austrian journalist Karl Pfeiffer’s report here. Moreover, as Pfeiffer and others have documented, Fidesz has a long history of coquetting with openly racist and anti-Semitic currents in Hungarian politics and society. In a recent article in the Berlin alternative weekly Jungle World, Pfeiffer notes that:
In spring 2008, the journalist Zsolt Bayer, who is close to Fidesz, published an article in the conservative daily Magyar Hirlap, in which he railed against Jews [i.e., purportedly Jewish authors] whose “mere existence justifies anti-Semitism.” “Let’s not let them piss … in the basin of the [Hungarian] nation,” Bayer wrote. A few days after the publication of the article, Orban posed for a photograph with Bayer. Viewers of Hungarian television also saw images of a close friendship [between Bayer and Orban].
Writing on the same episode in a piece for the website of Austrian public television ORF, Hanna Ronzheimer comments:
That anti-Semitism is becoming increasingly acceptable in polite company [in Hungary] is also the fault of Fidesz. With its political mottos and its simplistic and absurd portrayals of [Hungary’s] supposed enemies, it nourishes already existent prejudices about Jews as cunning capitalists and traitors against the nation.
According to a study conducted by the Hungarian sociologist Pal Tamas and cited in the German daily Handelsblatt, some 50% of Fidesz voters are receptive to anti-Semitism and xenophobia.
So, in short, if the Conservative Party’s current association with the Poland’s Law and Justice Party is supposed to be a problem, why was the Conservative Party’s previous association with Hungary’s Fidesz not one?
Who gives a s—. Anti Semitism in Europe is as old as apple pie in the US. This is not new news just a rehashing of the status quo be it with this group or that one.
I agree that preaching to the choir is useless, but that’s not what’s happening here. I think Dr. Rosenthal’s just adding to the already tall pile of evidence for resurgent worldwide anti-Semitism. There are plenty of people out there for whom the image of “progressive,” sophisticated, urbane and thoroughly anti-Semitic Europeans simply does not compute. This piece seems to be written with penetrating their thick psychological defense mechanisms in mind,
What this article does not say is who exactly is objecting to the British Conservatives’ new allies. Am I wrong to say that the protests have been entirely limited to Britain? am I wrong to say that they are entirely motivated by internal British politics? am I wrong to say that the British Labour Party and government are keen to smear the Tories even at the price of making enemies all over Europe?
To 2. BrianH
I think your missing a key point in that argument. Its not just anti-semitism thats on the raise thats just the effect of whats truly on the raise… and that cause is leftism. When ever leftism(or collectivism a branch of leftism) is on the raise you always have more racial, ethnic, etc problems because collectivists by definition are race, prejudicial, bigoted clowns.
You can look all across the world and see while most countries are moving slightly right… those countries are also far left wing and are barely leftwing. On the other hand you look at the euros and US and you see what was a centrist area(euro last 30-40 years) is now leftwing pushing leftward and the US which was center is not center left pushing on leftwing.
As countries move leftward racism along with all its friends come out to play.
Hungary under Admiral Horthy during World War II sent half a million Jews to their deaths. How many Jews are there left in Hungary now? Fidesz projects on to Jews its own desires and fantasies.
Charges of Antisemitism are selective most of the time.
Ask, why there is no condemnation of Egyptian and Abu Mazens anti-Semitism, compared to Turkeys.
#4 Robotech:
You know that modern anti-Semitism is a product of left-wing resentments, and I know it too. It was my point that a lot of people are emotionally and psychologically invested in not having to listen to that truth. Articles like this one can play a small but valuable part in puncturing that wall of self-imposed deafness.
So, in short, if the Conservative Party’s current association with the Poland’s Law and Justice Party is supposed to be a problem, why was the Conservative Party’s previous association with Hungary’s Fidesz not one?
a guess, becuz the right wing Poles were, and, still at a lesser point now, are the ones that rise their anti EU voice, while the Hungarians are discret, and don’t whin for the pains they had to suffer under soviets regimes, but are people that move on !
But the Kaminski’s businesses aren’t of Choir children, and racism is a latent job for them
Roboooooooooootech,
On the other hand you look at the euros and US and you see what was a centrist area(euro last 30-40 years) is now leftwing pushing leftward
don’t confound your Brits reading with the rest of the western EU counries !
We were more lefty 30 or 40 years ago
Eu countries ment, sorry typo
Daniel Hannan, whom most people here have probably heard of, is highly involved in the ECR and I think has done a good job of defending Kaminski (who actually has good relations with Israel’s Likud party) in his blog at the Telegraph.
I think Hannan’s admiration of Ron Paul is a little off base, but he seems genuinely pro-American, pro-free market, and anti-Eurofederalist.