Commentators wonder whether or not the next Orbán government will strike a more conciliatory tone, and seek compromises in the economy and in symbolic battles at home and on the European scene. READ MORE
A liberal analyst predicts that the Prime Minister will reject the demands put forward by Jewish leaders as pre-conditions for their presence at the government sponsored events of the Holocaust remembrance year. A right-wing pundit, on the other hand blames “uneducated” advisers who led the Prime Minister into a controversy which has proved difficult to handle. READ MORE
While Jewish community leaders have outlined their demands in a letter to the Prime Minister, a pro-government commentator expresses disappointment and dismay that the likelihood of a joint remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust seems to be waning. READ MORE
In the increasingly polarized debate over the commemoration of the Holocaust and the Nazi occupation of Hungary, a left-wing and a liberal pundit call for a boycott of government sponsored events. A moderate conservative commentator, on the other hand, fears that the lack of compromise on the memorial will only serve anti-Semites and those interested in entrenching ideological cleavages. READ MORE
A Jewish cultural weekly suggests that Jewish organizations should be prepared to make compromises but should also stay away from some of the events of the Holocaust memorial year. Reacting to earlier and sharper comments, one of the leading architects of the memorial year says the attacks are part and parcel of the election campaign. A conservative editor takes her defence against what he considers a vicious personal attack by a liberal historian. READ MORE
Wrangling over the proposed monument to mark the German occupation has taken a new, momentous turn, from a national quarrel to an international scandal, says an opposition daily, due to a statement by Randalph L. Braham. Pro-government commentators, on the other hand, dismiss the issue as fear-mongering and baseless accusations from the left. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators echo the misgivings expressed by opposition politicians about the government’s plan to erect a monument commemorating the invasion of Hungary by Nazi Germany in 1944. The statue is due to be unveiled on the 70th anniversary, i.e. March 19th, on Szabadság (Freedom) square, in front of the monument to Soviet soldiers. Left-wing politicians have criticised the hasty decision and expressed fears that the monument will implicitly whitewash the role of those Hungarians who collaborated with the Nazis. READ MORE
A centre-right commentator welcomes the idea to build a new Holocaust memorial site in Budapest, since he believes the first, opened a decade ago has not fulfilled its mission. READ MORE
A left-wing columnist welcomes the government’s acknowledgement of Hungarian responsibility for the crimes committed against Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. He agrees with the government that the public needs to be reminded of the country’s past crimes. READ MORE
A liberal columnist takes up the defence of Hungary’s only Nobel prize winning writer, who among other stark statements has said in an interview that he does not consider himself any more Jewish than Hungarian, and hates having been used by the “Holocaust industry” as an “Auschwitz-clown”. READ MORE