According to Index, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations has made false accusations against Hungary, and the Hungarian Foreign Ministry is waiting in vain for a correction, but the Americans are silent for the time being.
According to the summary, a high-level meeting on global efforts to combat antisemitism was held at the UN headquarters in New York on February 9, co-hosted by US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The diplomat began her speech by saying.
while synagogues in Ukraine are being hit by Russian missiles, in Hungary Holocaust memorials are being desecrated by vandals.
Index points out that Thomas-Greenfield said
Hungary was an example of „antisemitism spreading and growing around the world. This oldest form of hatred is once again threatening the security of Jewish people and the sense of belonging they deserve.”
She added that
„this hatred is not only fuelled by extremist groups, but also by mainstream political leaders, popular celebrities and people in positions of power. They are fuelling the hatred online and in person. Directly and indirectly. Covertly and out in the open.”
The US host of the meeting denied the Hungarian Ambassador the opportunity to speak. After the event, she personally questioned Linda Thomas-Greenfield about the basis for her statements at the meeting. According to Index, members of the US delegation
admitted behind closed doors that they had made a mistake and that the incident in which the statue of Raoul Wallenberg was vandalized actually took place in Sweden.
The Hungarian Embassy then requested a public correction from the United States mission, but the Americans have so far refused to do so. In fact, according to a document obtained by Index, US diplomacy, for its part, considers the matter closed, saying that in the official transcript of the speech
the part concerning Hungary had been crossed out:
Index contacted Máté Paczolay, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who called the events outrageous. As he said:
„it is quite outrageous that the US ambassador made unfounded and false allegations about Hungary in front of the broad publicity provided by the UN. As the Hungarian delegation was not given the opportunity to speak by the US hosts, we were only able to complain after the meeting. The matter is currently at the point where, behind closed doors, the US side has admitted that it made a mistake, but beyond that, no clarification or apology was issued, which is the minimum expectation in diplomacy in such a situation. What is even more shocking is that, after the matter had clearly become unpleasant, in the official transcript of the speech, the part about Hungary was simply crossed out — this is how they “handled” the situation.
Máté Paczolay added that according to the Hungarian foreign affairs leadership, it is likely that the US ambassador’s speechwriter was mistaken:
„If it is really just a mistake due to lack of preparation and not a deliberate slip of the tongue, it is incomprehensible why the mission does not issue a statement to resolve the situation.
According to the foreign affairs spokesman,
the seriousness of the whole event is called into question by the fact that in a high-profile meeting on antisemitism, untruths about a country can be made without any due diligence and in the presence of the entire diplomatic corps, without any consequences.
Máté Paczolay stressed that
Hungary has a zero-tolerance policy towards antisemitism, and any person who openly identifies as a Jew can feel safe in the country, unlike in some large Western European cities.
Index recalls that in early February, there had been a sharp exchange of words between Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and the US ambassador to Budapest when US Ambassador David Pressman claimed Hungary voices views supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin despite calling for peace. Szijjártó expressed his incomprehension at this, as it does not serve Hungary’s interests for the government to protect Russian oligarchs.
