Hungarian Guard in Budapest

400 new members of "Hungarian Guard" (Magyar Gárda) took the oath on Budapest Heroes Square on October 25 in Budapest. Between them were also children...

Karl Pfeifer has translated and edited the following news from the Budapest dailies "Népszabadság" and "Népszava"

The Hungarian Guard hold its fourth oath taking and the orators said about this organization founded by the extreme right party Jobbik that it could not be destroyed by the government or by creating tensions within the Guard.

The members of the Guard marched to the Heroes square, which was closed by a cordon, where they took the oath on a copy of the Hungarian crown. One six year old girl fainted. Outside the cordon about 500 sympathizers watched the event. Nearby considerably police units watched the event.

Lóránt Hegedüs jun, an antisemitic clergyman of the Reformed church criticized the leadership of his church, because they declared the Hungarian Guard "enemies of the gospel and the church” and he called those who left the Hungarian Guard traitors. (The former commander of the Guard, István Dósa founded a new guard. Their members are taking the oath on October 26 in Székesfehérvár.)

Lajos Für, former minister of defense (1990-1994) predicted "a political landslide" and said therefore the Guard must be strong and firm.

Mária Wittner, MP of the conservative Fidesz party demanded that Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and Hungarian politicians declare "I am not member of an interest group working against my homeland and I will not harm Hungary deliberately." Gábor Vona, leader of the extreme right Jobbik party and the Hungarian Guard spoke about the expected "downfall of the Neo-Liberal world domination".

After a demonstration of the Hungarian Guard on December 9, 2007 the General Attorney of Budapest started legal procedure to dissolve the uniformed paramilitary militia. Legal procedure started on March 12, 2008 but the judge who was to deal with the case was threatened in August and a new judge was nominated. The next session will take place on December 15, 2008.

According to the Budapest daily "Népszava" Vona threatened during an event of the Hungarian Guard on October 23 two big commercial TV stations TV2 and RTLKlub. He said: "they should fear the day when we seize power, because we will destroy their headquarters to the ground, we will show the editors where they have to leave Hungary".