Volume 4 No 2 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

2012] LETTER FROM BUDAPEST 583The far right represents Horthy as a hero. In one town, the local councilnamed a park in his honor, while in another community a life-size statuewas erected in his memory. In yet another location, a marble plaque on thewall of a school again bears Horthy’s name, which had been removed in1947. Yet the government does not vigorously oppose the rehabilitation ofHorthy; instead, it invariably encourages Jobbik and until now dormant fascistsentiments.Two Fidesz MPs participated in a fundraising event for the erection ofa Budapest-based Horthy statue. Reflecting on the large number of eventsorganized in Horthy’s memory, prime minister Viktor Orbán stated in aninterview with Austria’s Die Presse: “The decision to hold such events isone that must be made by the local community”—failing to mention thatFidesz politicians control nearly all municipalities in Hungary, with localcouncils comprising Fidesz representatives almost exclusively.After the 2010 election, Fidesz used its two thirds’ parliamentarysuper-majority to curtail the powers of the Constitutional Court and passeda new constitution that cements the party’s power and places nearly allmedia under state supervision. Many groups, including the EuropeanUnion, objected.Neo-Nazis in Hungary use an array of scare tactics to break and silenceopponents. These include threats of physical violence, including murder,and publishing the most personal and private forms of information aboutthose who dare to engage in social and political protest against the actionsand rise of the extreme right. They target those who dare to protest andupload personal information of the latter to the most viciously fascisticnews sites. Hundreds of thousands of people read these Web sites, and theycan easily make the lives of democratic activists a living hell. No oneshould have to read hateful and abusive e-mails such as this: “Rotten Jewishwhore! Get lost from my country, along with your treasonous, filthy Jewishrace. How dare you harass elderly people, you dirty Jewish whore.” (Forsimilar statements see the original 2012 PDF footnote.)Online harassment is much more dangerous than verbal scare tactics.Threats expressed over the Internet have a far more detrimental and lastingimpact on the victim than the occasional verbal insult and abuse. It is alsoclear that Hungarian authorities have a range of digital tools at their disposalthat could be harnessed in an effort to stop such harassment andintimidation.