Usury or racism? Jobbik: Stop the lies and deal with the problem.

Gabor Vona

In June 2008, Jobbik, The Movement For A Better Hungary, submitted an application to the National Electoral Commission (OVB) to hold a referendum on 7 questions. Amongst the 7 subjects to be voted on in the referendum, Jobbik emphasised the need of recognising the practice of usury as a crime punishable with a sentence of 5 years. The practice of usury (loan-sharking) is widespread in the countryside and most commonly takes its victims from the poor populace of deprived areas and villages, mostly those living on state benefits.

Criminals are lending money to these people at interest rates which often range from 100% right up to 1000%, and non-compliance in paying back the loan back can have devastating consequences. Physical violence, arson attacks and murders have become the day-to-day consequences of the rise of this usury crime wave. There are no official statistics about the ethnic origin of the perpetrators but the victims are mostly - if not all - of Roma origin.

The crime of usury is known about throughout society and is thought to be committed mostly by Roma criminals - although the politically correct authorities would never dare to publish the ethnic origin of the perpetrators of this crime. However, as the victim’s ethnic origin are recorded and are indeed mostly of Roma origin, minority representatives and leaders are quick to jump at the opportunity to scream about there being “racist motives” behind the increasingly frequent number of non-payment attacks. The Socialist MEP Viktoria Mohacsi (herself of Roma origin), is leading the way in crying wolf over this issue, and suspecting racist motives behind these acts of criminality; even though on every occasion investigated no such racist motive has ever been found by the police to have been present. Other Roma leaders and activists have gone so far as to openly accusing Jobbik or the Guard of responsibility for these attacks.

An issue, originally brought to public attention by Jobbik, and considered serious enough by us as to be worthy of inclusion in a referendum in June, is now being turned against the party in an utterly wicked and cynical manner by the Roma leadership. This perverted accusation against the Guard, has created an unprecedented turnaround in some of the left-liberal media, who have totally dismissed the notion of racist motives and pointed out the plain fact that these attacks are crimes of usury, and nothing more.

Laszlo Teleki, former Roma state secretary, even shocked the presenter of a state-run TV station’s program in an interview last week, “I hope that this turns out to be a mistake.” [that there is no racist motive] The presenter, shocked by what he had heard asked again, “So are you hoping it to be a racist attack?” “Yes.” Teleki replied.

Below is a statement from Gabor Vona, the President of Jobbik:

In the last few weeks, certain politicians and members of the left-liberal media have irresponsibly engaged in incitement and the telling of outright lies about recent crimes in Hungary: in an attempt to find and smear a scapegoat. In this process of which, they have tried to suggest that Jobbik, The Hungarian Guard and the whole nationalist, patriotic movement are in fact behind these crimes. We have reached an absurd state of affairs where organised criminal gangs can do whatever they please in the country: kill people or fire off explosives; and the response is simply blaming it on the Guard.

We have to call a halt to the continued breakdown of public safety. We demand that the police not only find the perpetrators but also publish the results of their investigations. This way we can stop the left-liberal media and certain minority representative’s attempts at inciting a civil war. If the police are not able to show results, then they are either incapable of fulfilling their purpose or simply unwilling to identify the real perpetrators; in which case politics and organised crime find themselves playing on the same side.

We ask that the Police authorities work out strategies and create specialist police units against the real and present crime waves currently being committed in the country against millions of citizens, and stop desperately searching for these non-existent and irrelevant racial motives.

The Jobbik party is on the side of the law and order, and we expect every other organisation or citizen to respect the law in the same way. As a result, we intend taking legal action against all those imprudent minority leaders who choose to make a living out of slandering Jobbik and haven’t chosen their words wisely.

Gabor Vona

President, Jobbik