Those who came to the inauguration ceremony of the newest synagogue of the Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities (EMIH) last Friday, suffered antisemitic harassment on two occasions, read the TEV statement.
The foreign and Hungarian participants of the ceremony, many dressed in their traditional hats and suits, were headed to the new synagogue on Vörösmarty Street when two middle-aged men, acting aggressively, spat on and called two members of the congregation stinking Jews and then tried to hit them. Passersby witnessed the incident, so the attackers moved on.
After the Saturday service, the celebrating crowd was heading in the direction of the Béke Hotel when a young man holding a baseball bat on Szondi Street insulted them. He shouted “yuck, Jews, get out of here Jews,” and then when several people turned around, he said, “Don’t look back stinking Jew.” He then proceeded to lift the baseball bat and try to hit them, but due to the quick, decisive and professional actions of the police escorting the crowd, no physical attack materialized. The perpetrators of the atrocities were detained by the authorities and will be prosecuted.
The Action and Protection Foundation (TEV) appreciates the prompt and professional action taken by the authorities during the crime itself and the subsequent investigation. It also expresses special thanks to the police for only continuing their investigation on Sunday morning, giving unique consideration to the Sabbath.
