Hungarian Parliamentarian Calls To Make List of Jews

A call by a far-right Hungarian parliamentarian to register Jews on lists as national security threats met international condemnation on Tuesday, as well as a protest outside the legislature, calling for his resignation.

Marton Gyongyosi of the Jobbik party said he would not resign, and said he had meant Hungarians with Israeli passports should be listed, not all Hungarian Jews.  He issued an apology to “my Jewish compatriots” for any misunderstanding.

The recommendation came following a parliamentary discussion of Hungary’s position on the recent war in Gaza, during which several legislators stated their interest in a halt to Israel’s attacks on terror targets.

Reuters quoted Gyongyosi as saying “"I think such a conflict makes it timely to tally up people of Jewish ancestry who live here, especially in the Hungarian parliament and the Hungarian government, who, indeed, pose a national security risk to Hungary."

Protests outside the parliament featured Hungarians wearing yellow stars and chanting “Nazis go home!”

Almost a full day after Gyongyosi’s statement, the government issued its own statement condemning the idea.

Between 500,000 to 600,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Approximately 100,000 Jews now live in Hungary.