Adviser of Hungary PM resigns after he gave racist speech

Hungary PM Viktor Orban, in a speech on Saturday, warned Europeans about becoming “peoples of mixed race”. His close aid Zsuzsa Hegedus resigned over the speech. She described it as “pure Nazi”.

He was addressing the Hungarian community in Romania in his speech. He said that Europeans should procreate within their own race. Marrying non-European races will lead to a “mixed-race world”.

The International Auschwitz Committee of Holocaust survivors condemned the speech. They called it “stupid and dangerous”. Zsuzsa Hegedus has known Mr Orban for two decades. She also knows his nationalistic anti-immigration stance. However, his latest speech was too much for her to keep mum.

She resigned, saying, “I don’t know how you didn’t notice that the speech you delivered is a purely Nazi diatribe worthy of Joseph Goebbels”

His speech has divided Hungary. The Hungarian opposition has deeply criticized his comments. They have called his speech “unworthy of a European statesman”. Jewish Groups have also called out the PM over the speech. They also demanded a meeting with the PM to express their concerns.

Jews have long been the subject of racial discrimination in Europe. The Nazi regime killed millions of Jews in concentration camps. This also included about half a million Hungarian Jews. However, they were primarily incarcerated at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.

The Hungary PM has also got support. Government mouthpiece Magyar Nemzet published an article praising his comments. The article also stated that he was defending nationalism. His efforts would avoid nations descending down “into a grey, indistinguishable mass”.

The PM has reacted to her resignation with a letter. He said that his government has no place for racism or anti-Semitism. His spokesman also came down on mainstream media’s coverage of the speech. He said that the PM was just being strong on his immigration views. There should be no Nazi connotations to his speech.

Hungary has drifted away from the EU on many policies. Meanwhile, the Hungary PM has stayed close to Russia. He has rejected the EU’s proposals to scale back dependence on Russian gas. He also called for negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Sanctions and mere lip-service are not helping the war-torn country.

Credits: BBC