flag, and anti-Jewish statements made by far-right protesters demanding the closure of an alternative radio station, which aired anti-Christian remarks on Christmas Eve.
Israeli officials made their comments just hours after thousands of Hungarians demonstrated in front of the studio of the Budapest-based non-profit Tilos Radio network, where an apparently drunk radio host said December 24 he would "wipe out all Christians."
In a statement released by local media, the embassy said it learned with "deep outrage" that remarks made on Tilos Radio, which it also "condemned" were "presented at the demonstration parallel with the state of Israel."
Tilos Radio, which means "Forbidden Radio" in reference to its former status as a pirate station, had already fired the host who it said had been talking under the influence of alcohol.
ANGRY CROWD
Yet an angry crowd of up to 10,000 people made clear the Hungarian National Radio and Television Body (ORTT) should close the station, an opinion reflected by several church leaders and the largest opposition party Fidesz of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The protest soon turned ugly when at least 1,000 demonstrators reportedly burned and later stepped on at least one Israeli flag, while some media suggested several Israeli flags were destroyed as protesters shouted "we had enough!"
Television footage also showed demonstrators waving Hungarian national flags as well as the Arpad stripe flag, which was also used by neo-Nazi Hungarists during the Second World War.
CIVIC CIRCLES
The controversial demonstration was organized by an organization of the Civic Circles, a movement linked to ex-Prime Minister Orban. In what was interpreted as an anti-Jewish speech, right wing commentator Istvan Lovas warned protesters that "a small minority" hates Hungary and Christians.
"In Southern Sudan, the Muslim majority has killed two million Christians…in the past years. In the Indian Gujarat province, the Hindu majority has massacred 3,000 Muslims. The Russian majority has massacred about 60,000 Chechens so far," he argued.
"The minority which hates the Hungarian nation and Christianity has been tormenting, ridiculing and squeezing out the majority for five decades in its fight for a total control over national resources," Lovas added, on loud applause of his audience.
PHOTOGRAPHER ATTACKED
Demonstrators also threw snowballs at the studio and damaged the equipment of a photographer of the Hungarian News Agency MTI, taking shots of them, BosNewsLife learned.
Budapest police press officer Pal Unger told MTI "there had been no police intervention." Yet, the burning of the Israeli flag underscored concern among Evangelicals about Hungarian anti Semitism within several traditional churches and far right groups, BosNewsLife has established.
But protest organizer Imre Pesti distanced himself from the destruction of an Israeli flag saying "conservative groups" had assembled to give a "calm but firm" answer to the radio’s "anti-Christian programs."
CHRISTIAN TRADITION
Another organizer told Hungarian Radio that it was "not a Christian act to disgrace any nation’s flag and should be rejected to the same extent as a call for the liquidation of Christians."
Pesti stressed however that Tilos Radio had offended against European culture rooted in Christian tradition while insulting "the globe’s 1.5 billion Christian believers" and violating universal human rights, MTI reported.
"For this reason, we demand that (media regulator) ORTT cancel its broadcasting contract with Tilos Radio," he was quoted as saying. Meanwhile the Hungarian Catholic Church announced it would start its own nation wide radio station later this year.
JEWS CONCERNED
Sunday’s protest came at a time of an unprecedented discussion about freedom of expression in post-Communist Hungary, as it prepares to join the European Union in May.
Jewish officials, including Holocaust survivors, have expressed concern about Hungarian President Ferenc Madl’s decision to veto anti-hate speech legislation, which also would protect Christians.
Last month Madl send the law to the Constitutional Court for a second opinion, saying he was concerned the bill could violate freedoms more than was allowed under the constitution, despite several anti-Jewish and anti-Roma incidents.
BoOSNEWSLIFE STORY
An BosNewsLife story on this issue led to a national media and political row last week in Hungary, which was a close ally of Nazi Germany during World War Two when 600,000 Hungarian Jews and thousands of Roma were massacred along with others extremists did not like.
The ORTT said it is considering to withdraw the license of Tilos Radio and to start criminal proceedings against the network in an apparent effort to end the hate divisions in the troubled nation of roughly ten million people.
