European Revival of Old Stereotypes of Jews

The Jewish News Service reports that the Hungarian Jewish community is reeling from the EUs far right election victories.   Hungary is home to the fourth largest Jewish community in Europe and has not experienced the same level of anti-semitism as some of its neighboring countries.   However, as the Jewish News Service reports,

But with the economic downturn hitting Eastern and Central Europe particularly hard, old stereotypes about Jews have been revived. In Hungary, as elsewhere in Europe, far-right parties have gained.

"The crisis generated by the recession is about discrimination, inequality, xenophobia, racism, violence and repression," Irene Khan, secretary-general of Amnesty International, said upon release of the organization's 2009 world report.

The Jobbik party — a Hungarian word that means both "better" and "further to the right" — is led by Gabor Vona, 30, a former high school history teacher. Though he denies being a racist, Vona says the party keeps an "open mind" about the veracity of the Holocaust.

This month, a police union in Hungary published a hateful statement about Jews.   The Macedonian International News Agency reports,

"Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews."

This quote appeared in a newsletter published by an organization calling itself "The trade union of Hungarian police officers prepared for action".

There has also been an alarming Neo-Nazi rise in Germany, as reported by Der Spiegel in March of this year.

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