Movement for a Better Hungary
Encyclopedia
Jobbik, The Movement for a Better Hungary commonly known as Jobbik, is a Hungarian radical
nationalist
political party. Jobbik has been denoted by scholars, different press outlets and its political opponents as fascist
, neo-fascist
, anti-Semitic, anti-Roma and homophobic. The party describes itself as "a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party", whose "fundamental purpose" was the protection of "Hungarian values and interests." Measured according to its representation in the European Parliament
and the National Assembly
, it is Hungary's third largest party.
Around Christmas 2003, Jobbik started a nationwide cross-erecting action to remind Hungarians of the "true meaning" of the holiday. The move was disapproved by several Christian intellectual groups, while the churches did not officially object to the political absorption of the religious symbol. The party has adopted the Árpád stripes as a symbol. The stripes have been in used since the 13th century and have traditionally been associated with Hungary. Although they are still present in Hungary's coat of arms
, their use is controversial as also the fascist Arrow Cross Party
used this crest during the 1930s and 40s.
(MIÉP) and Jobbik had publicly shown their mutual aversion beforehand, both parties entered an electoral alliance for the the 2006 national elections
, called the MIÉP–Jobbik Third Way Alliance of Parties. Its intention was seen as winning votes from the major conservative Fidesz
party.
In the 2006 Hungarian national elections the alliance won only 2.2% of the votes. Therefore, Jobbik termed the alliance a failure and virtually broke it up. In 2009 the State Audit Office (ÁSZ) reported the alliance for grave breaches of accounting rules. Jobbik blamed MIÉP alone for the irregularities..
. After October 2006 it felt confirmed in the belief that the events of 1989
had essentially been a sham, because “Communists”
were still in charge. Subsequent events permitted the party to consolidate its growth.
In 2007 the party published a policy document which sought to explain and find solutions to the problems of the preceding years. Named after Gábor Bethlen, it described the country as suffering from a “crisis of constitutionality” (e.g. despite its actions the government was facing no accountability, and the Gyurcsány
administration was persisting in office), which had resulted in a political status quo
in which all parties acted to benefit themselves, if indeed they acted at all; preferring rhetoric which concealed their ineffectiveness and corruption. However, in its opinion Jobbik was faced with an obstacle to disseminating its policy approach (see 3. Policy position). Namely that the Hungarian media could be divided into two camps: the terrestrial television stations and the majority of print media who were broadly sympathetic to the governing MSZP/SZDSZ coalition, and the satellite stations and a minority of publications, who were committed to Viktor Orbán’s
“one camp of the right” policy i.e. they were sympathetic to Fidesz
. As a result the party was compelled to mobilize primarily at the local level. This in turn brought it closer to the immediate concerns of the Hungarian electorate, allowing it to be acutely conscious of the severe local effects of the global financial crisis, and the notable rise in crime (or arguably, the rise in the perception of crime – see 3.4 Law and Order).
The party faced its first electoral test with the coming of the 2009 European parliamentary elections
. Once again however, it felt that it was being intentionally excluded by the media from the opportunity of presenting its (symbolically 56 page) manifesto
to the public; while being slandered internationally by a national political elite that “feared the Hungarian nation finally getting into their own parliament.” Consequently, Gábor Vona
, the party chairman; and Krisztina Morvai
, arguably the country’s most famous human rights
advocate (who had agreed to head the party’s list), conducted a nationwide tour to take the party manifesto directly to the electorate. The election’s results surprised Jobbik as much as it shocked their opponents: the party sending three MEPs
to Strasbourg
; coming close to level with the governing Hungarian Socialist Party
(MSZP) while eliminating their liberal coalition partner SZDSZ
, to become the nation’s third party. Unsurprisingly, Morvai’s first speech to the European parliament called for the chamber to be conscious of human rights abuses within the community, i.e. Hungary, in order to secure legitimacy about them taking place in other nations, i.e. Iran
; she asserted that every major anti-government demonstration had suffered the same fate since 2006. Vona himself was pepper sprayed, handcuffed and arrested at a seated protest in Budapest on 4 July 2009, a demonstration whose legality is still a matter of dispute. In doing so he consolidated his appeal to those who felt that the original protesters of 2006 had been abandoned by Orbán
. (Unlike Orbán, Vona actively joined a demonstration after the police had begun violent efforts to break it up.) Jobbik said of the incident, that “The violent arrest and forcible detention of the leader of a major European opposition party [was] a sickening development, and without precedent in the 21st Century.”
Hungary's 2010 parliamentary elections
saw Jobbik cement its posititon as the nation's 3rd largest party, doubling the vote it had received in the previous year and getting just 3 seats less than the previous ruling party MSZP.
in Budapest together with political parties from four European countries, Nationaldemokraterna
(Sweden
), Fiamma Tricolore
(Italy
), Front National
(France
) and the Front National (Belgium
).
Jobbik therefore means both ‘the more preferable choice’ and ‘more to the right’. This is similar to the English "Right Choice" meaning both Conservative and Proper.
Jobbik is associated with the re-emergence of a Hungarian greeting, coined by the Levente
(a veteran led youth cadet organization formed nationally in 1921); namely the call “May God grant” (Adjon az Isten) and response “a brighter future” (Szebb Jövőt!).Call and response greetings are a feature of Hungarian communication, particularly in rural communities. Chiefly the call Dicsértessék a Jézus Krisztus and response Mindörökké, ámen! which is the Hungarian language version of Laudetur Jesus Christus
. The verbatim meaning of this greeting is “God grant” (Adjon az Isten), “A nicer future!” (Szebb Jövőt!); though the version rendered in the text retains the meaning while scanning better in English. This may be used as a personal salutation or as a form of address, and is frequently abbreviated to Szebb Jövőt! as a verbal or written valediction
; by those sympathetic to the mainstream nationalist movement.
The meaning of the party’s 2009 election
slogan “Hungary belongs to the Hungarians” (Magyarország a Magyaroké!) was also the subject of considerable scrutiny.It should be noted that the word for Hungary in the Hungarian language (Magyarország) means “the land of the Magyars”; the ethnic group which according to the most recent census constitute 94.4% of the country’s population (though the size of the Roma population is frequently a matter of dispute). Some critics thought the slogan essentially tautological, while others were sufficiently concerned to mount a successful complaint at the National Electoral Commission; which ruled it “unconstitutional” on the very eve of the election. Jobbik maintained that the use of the slogan’s wording was justified because Hungary’s political and economic elite had been engaged in enriching themselves through placing the majority of the country’s significant assets into private or foreign ownership.
has set out his thoughts in "What do we mean by radicalism?" Jobbik rejects the common classification of the political spectrum in left and right. It prefers a distinction of political parties based on their stance towards globalisation. On this scheme, the party sees itself as patriotic.
Jobbik's ideology has been described as right-wing populism
, whose strategy “relies on a combination of ethno-nationalism with anti-elitist
populist
rhetoric and a radical critique of existing political institutions.”Right-wing populism
(As a result Jobbik is part of an increasing Europe-wide trend, which began with the Danish Progress Party
in 1972, and finds its most significant contemporary manifestation - in terms of most likely to actually form a government - in the Dutch Partij voor de Vrijheid
led by Geert Wilders
.) The most conspicuous advocate of the Hungarian expression of this right-wing populist trend, radical nationalism,No English language version has yet been rendered of the Hungarian Wikipedia article on the phenomenon of Hungarian Radical nationalism. Though "Radical nationalism" is accurate semantically
, in Hungarian it is given in the reverse format Nemzeti radikalizmus ("National [or rather: nationist [sic]] radicalism") due to the fact that the Hungarian noun for "Nationalism" (Nacionalizmus) has a primarily negative associative connotation
with the 1940s; rather than a positive patriotic one. is the “articulate and softly spoken former History teacher” Gábor Vona
; who was elected chairman of Jobbik at the age of 27. Vona’s radical nationalism actively rejects the conventional classification of the Left-Right political spectrum
; which he views to be inherently false and misleading. He supports this contention by pointing to what he calls the persistent inability of this convention to provide solutions to the most pressing issues of the day. For Vona, the division between Left and Right, as commonly understood, is an essentially illusory perspective.
In the place of this illusory divide Jobbik substitutes the twin ideologies of, first, a virtually unrestrained capitalism
(namely economic Neoliberalism
), and second, modern social liberalism
(deemed to include Political correctness
and Multiculturalism
); which it maintains are the two primary forces actually governing the lives of the modern European
(and by extension Hungarian) citizen. But it is also mistaken to believe that these two ideologies are opposed, and in conflict. For Jobbik they represent the status quo
, to which the majority of established politicians unquestioningly subscribe. Moreover, any questioning would be pointless because these twin ideologies operate at the trans-national rather than national level. They are imposed and enforced by the directives and regulations of the European Union
, which in the form of the Commission
has already exclusively appropriated the most significant executive
powers of national governments; and whose democratic removal the European elector is (by design) incapable of achieving. As a result the Hungarian citizen is forced to endure a succession of day-to-day realities that fly in the face of their own interests; and there is nothing of merit that politicians from the two main parties can do about it, as a result they either spend their time enriching themselves, or manufacturing political controversies over symbolic issues in order to divert attention from their own impotence and corruption. This is the radical
element of Jobbik's ideology.
The nationalist
element comes from the suggested solution to this dilemma. As these two currently governing ideologies are considered, by definition, indifferent to the economic fate or cultural survival of the Hungarian people: nationalism is revealed as a sensible, intelligent and worthwhile political choice. And a new and realistic divide emerges, which permits one to make valid and useful distinctions between policy options or Euro-legislation. Namely, does it serve the national interest, or not. As Morvai Krisztina remarked on the 2009 campaign trail, “We have no use in Hungary, for those laws, which in our own land actively disadvantage Hungarians and prioritise the interests of foreigners.” Consequently, Vona has stated that he sees one of the key functions of the party to be compelling those in Hungarian public life to profess which side of this actual political dividing line they occupy. To declare “on which side of the real barricade they stand.” The party’s magazine is entitled “Barricade” (Barikád) for this reason.
Jobbik's interpretation of Hungarian nationalism also includes the ideology of Turanism
which stresses the (alleged) origin of the Magyar peoples in Central Asia, and the links of the Hungarians to Asian, especially Turkic peoples. Therefore Jobbik leader Gábor Vona favors Hungaria turning away from the West (including the Euro-Atlantic alliances) and towards the "East", to form a "Turanian alliance" whose "Western bastion" Hungary should become.
Jobbik's Greater Hungarian
irredentist
claims can be found in pleas for cross-border ethnic self-determination. For example, the party demands "territorial autonomy" for the Székely Land
in Romania and desires to make Transcarpathian Ukraine
an independent Hungarian district.
The Eco-Social National Economy:
Jobbik dedicates itself to supporting the cause of the significant (a quarter of Hungarians live outside Hungary) Hungarian minorities that exist external to the nation's territory in countries bordering Hungary in their campaigns to achieve self-determination and autonomy
.
Of the three victorious powers of World War I
it was the United States under Woodrow Wilson
which argued for self-determination
amongst the ethnic communities of the Austro-Hungarian empire.The city of Sopron
was given the opportunity of deciding whether it wished to become part of Hungary or Austria through a plebiscite
in 1921 following unrest. It decided on the former, but no other town was again granted the privilege. France
and Britain
however, arguably had a broader strategic agenda of ensuring that any future resurgent Germany would not have a European industrial ally to call upon. They therefore sought by their boundary decisions, primarily to economically cripple Austria and Hungary respectively to ensure this objective. Though their intentions are a subject of debate, two consequences of their actions nevertheless followed. First, Austria-Hungary having been an autarky
, its successor states were indeed economically crippled; Germany in World War II
had no such industrially significant ally.) Second, the Treaty of Trianon
(which in 1920 specifically partitioned the Kingdom of Hungary
) left large ethnically Hungarian communities (whose residence had spanned centuries) outside the territorial border of modern Hungary
; such communities today making up one quarter of Central Europe’s Magyar population. As a consequence the Hungarian constitution
states that, “The Republic of Hungary bears a sense of responsibility for what happens to Hungarians living outside of its borders and promotes the fostering of their relations with Hungary.”
However, according to Jobbik, successive Hungarian governments have found it inconvenient to honour this commitment. The resolution of the Magyar minority issue was sold as a chief benefit of joining the European Community. In Jobbik's view, the EU seems merely to have hoped that accession would have made this issue somehow disappear. Jobbik sees the EU's continued and resolute refusal to get involved in any alleged incident of the infringement of Magyar minority rights as being in stark contrast to frequent and repeated highlighting of the Roma minority issue. In Hungary, Jobbik argues, minority issues are actively promoted and defended (through exclusive multi-ethnic radio and TV times, and dedicated social funding); the deliberate curtailment of Magyar rights is seen as not merely a rhetorical feature of the political extremes of some neighbouring countries, but actually a part of official government policy or of persisting legislation. (e.g. the Beneš decrees
) Jobbik campaigns for these communities to be given the opportunity of self-determination that was originally denied them. As a result the party has caused concern amongst those whose political or constitutional principles are strictly opposed to even countenancing such a proposal, due to commitments to territorial integrity.
of the Guard, the crest of King Emeric
, decorated with lions and Árpád stripes, which is also part of their uniform.
In June 2007 president Vona, supported by the party, founded and registered the organisation called Magyar Gárda, which says in its deed of foundation that it intends to become “part or core” of the national guard to be set up in accordance with the Bethlen Gábor programme, and it also wishes to participate actively “in strengthening national self-defence” and “maintaining public order” as well as supporting and organising social and charity missions, in disaster prevention and civil defence. The foundation of the Guard was accompanied by sharp political debate.
On 10 March 2008 three leading figures resigned from the party: Dávid Kovács
, the founding president of the party, Ervin Nagy, committee chairman, and Márton Fári, former chairman of the party’s ethical committee. They indicated the Hungarian Guard as the cause of their resignation, stating that "Jobbik has been merged inseparably with the Guard, taking responsibility for something that it cannot really control in the long run".
On 2 July 2009 the Metropolitan Court of Appeal (Fővárosi Ítélőtábla) disbanded the "Magyar Gárda" Organization because the court held that the activities of the organization were against the human rights of minorities
as guaranteed by the Hungarian Constitution. The Guard has attempted to reorganize itself as a civil service association, known as the Magyar Gárda Foundation, engaged in cultural and nation building activities rather than politics. Its renewed activities are opposed by the Hungarian authorities and prosecutors claim that the founding of the new organization is in contempt of previous court rulings.
Jobbik argues that the national police
should be greatly strengthened and -with the FIDESZ
- supports introducing an "three strikes law
"
The radical right wing in Hungary, including Jobbik protested against Israeli President
Shimon Peres
, after he said that "Israel
is buying up Hungary
".
by the party’s critics, some members brought back the use of the term gipsy crime which was in official use before the 1990s by the authorities. Gipsy crime in this sense is used to refer to criminal acts typically attributed to members of the Romani community.
. Even so, the movement has been accused of playing on those fears. Jobbik has also been linked to homophobic incidents in Budapest. In London on 16 May 2008 the delegation of Jobbik's Committee of Foreign Affairs met Nick Griffin
, chairman of the British National Party
. They discussed cooperation between the two parties, and the elections for the European Parliament. Griffin spoke at the party rally in August 2008, while former vice-president Zoltan Füzessy is presently resident in Gravesend
, Kent
, England
.
Jobbik claims to reject violence and support democracy.
, a comment was posted on an unofficial and unverified Hungarian political internet forum, allegedy in the name of Prof. Krisztina Morvai, who then headed the party’s electoral list. Addressing their remarks to Hungarian Jews the comment poster stated that they “would be glad if the so-called proud Hungarian Jews went back to playing with their tiny circumcised dicks instead of vilifying me.” News of this comment, which has been roundly condemned, spread rapidly around the world and eventually even featured in an article by The Economist
. (Whose readership immediately questioned the wisdom of using an unverified 3rd party forum posting as an authoritative source.) Morvai’s critics have pointed to her refusal to even discuss the issue, let alone deny it; implying that this is sufficient to unquestioningly ascribe authorship of the remarks to her.
Her supporters however, claim that though she certainly has a record of being critical of the state of Israel given a sympathy for the Palestinian cause she developed while working as an international human rights lawyer, the idea of Morvai being an anti-Semite is "simply ridiculous," given that at the time of her alleged remarks she was married to an Hungarian of Jewish origin, with whom she has three children, but from whom she is now separated.
In a newsletter published by a group calling itself The trade union of Hungarian police officers prepared for action, the following was allegedly printed: "Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews." The editor of the union, Judit Szima, is a Jobbik candidate in the upcoming election for the European Union parliament. Haaretz
alleged Szima "didn't see anything wrong with the content of the article." The trade union denies that they published such a statement and announced that they would demand a retraction from the European Jewish Congress.
*In an electoral alliance with MIÉP
, under the name of the "MIÉP-Jobbik Third Way Alliance of Parties
", joined by Independent Smallholders’ Party
(FKgP) organisations from 15 counties.
For the European Parliament:
Municipal:
Mayoral:
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
nationalist
Hungarian nationalism
Hungarian nationalism developed in the early nineteenth century along the classic lines of scholarly interest leading to political nationalism and mass participation.-History:...
political party. Jobbik has been denoted by scholars, different press outlets and its political opponents as fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
, neo-fascist
Neo-Fascism
Neo-fascism is a post–World War II ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. The term neo-fascist may apply to groups that express a specific admiration for Benito Mussolini and Italian Fascism or any other fascist leader/state...
, anti-Semitic, anti-Roma and homophobic. The party describes itself as "a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party", whose "fundamental purpose" was the protection of "Hungarian values and interests." Measured according to its representation in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and the National Assembly
National Assembly of Hungary
The National Assembly or Diet is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter list members...
, it is Hungary's third largest party.
History and development
Foundation
Originally established in 2002 as the Right-Wing Youth Association (Jobboldali Ifjúsági Közösség – JOBBIK) by a group of catholic and protestant university students, Jobbik was eventually founded as a political party in October 2003. Instrumental in this was the person of Gergely Pongrátz, who in a speech to the founding conference made reference to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.Around Christmas 2003, Jobbik started a nationwide cross-erecting action to remind Hungarians of the "true meaning" of the holiday. The move was disapproved by several Christian intellectual groups, while the churches did not officially object to the political absorption of the religious symbol. The party has adopted the Árpád stripes as a symbol. The stripes have been in used since the 13th century and have traditionally been associated with Hungary. Although they are still present in Hungary's coat of arms
Coat of arms of Hungary
The current coat of arms of Hungary was adopted on July 3, 1990, after the end of communist rule. The arms have been used before, both with and without the Holy Crown of Hungary, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.The shield is...
, their use is controversial as also the fascist Arrow Cross Party
Arrow Cross Party
The Arrow Cross Party was a national socialist party led by Ferenc Szálasi, which led in Hungary a government known as the Government of National Unity from October 15, 1944 to 28 March 1945...
used this crest during the 1930s and 40s.
Alliances
Even though the far-right Hungarian Justice and Life PartyHungarian Justice and Life Party
The Hungarian Justice and Life Party is a far-right nationalist political party in Hungary led by István Csurka...
(MIÉP) and Jobbik had publicly shown their mutual aversion beforehand, both parties entered an electoral alliance for the the 2006 national elections
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2006
The schedule of the 2006 Hungarian parliamentary elections, as announced by president László Sólyom was as follows:* first round on April 9, 2006* second round on April 23, 2006...
, called the MIÉP–Jobbik Third Way Alliance of Parties. Its intention was seen as winning votes from the major conservative Fidesz
Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union
The Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union is a major conservative party in Hungary. At the 2010 election in Hungary, Fidesz-KDNP won a two-thirds majority of seats by gaining 52% of the votes, with Fidesz winning 227 seats and KDNP winning 36...
party.
In the 2006 Hungarian national elections the alliance won only 2.2% of the votes. Therefore, Jobbik termed the alliance a failure and virtually broke it up. In 2009 the State Audit Office (ÁSZ) reported the alliance for grave breaches of accounting rules. Jobbik blamed MIÉP alone for the irregularities..
Growth and electoral success
Jobbik was perfectly positioned to capitalize on the mainstream growth in nationalist sentiment associated with the 2006 protests in Hungary2006 protests in Hungary
The 2006 protests in Hungary were a series of anti-government protests triggered by the release of Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's private speech in which he confessed that his Hungarian Socialist Party had lied to win the 2006 election, and had done nothing worth mentioning in the...
. After October 2006 it felt confirmed in the belief that the events of 1989
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989 were the revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in various Central and Eastern European countries.The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and...
had essentially been a sham, because “Communists”
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
were still in charge. Subsequent events permitted the party to consolidate its growth.
In 2007 the party published a policy document which sought to explain and find solutions to the problems of the preceding years. Named after Gábor Bethlen, it described the country as suffering from a “crisis of constitutionality” (e.g. despite its actions the government was facing no accountability, and the Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány is a Hungarian politician. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009.He was nominated to take that position on 25 August 2004 by the Hungarian Socialist Party , after Péter Medgyessy resigned due to a conflict with the Socialist Party's coalition partner...
administration was persisting in office), which had resulted in a political status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
in which all parties acted to benefit themselves, if indeed they acted at all; preferring rhetoric which concealed their ineffectiveness and corruption. However, in its opinion Jobbik was faced with an obstacle to disseminating its policy approach (see 3. Policy position). Namely that the Hungarian media could be divided into two camps: the terrestrial television stations and the majority of print media who were broadly sympathetic to the governing MSZP/SZDSZ coalition, and the satellite stations and a minority of publications, who were committed to Viktor Orbán’s
Viktor Orbán
Viktor Orbán is a Hungarian populist and conservative politician and current Prime Minister of Hungary...
“one camp of the right” policy i.e. they were sympathetic to Fidesz
Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union
The Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union is a major conservative party in Hungary. At the 2010 election in Hungary, Fidesz-KDNP won a two-thirds majority of seats by gaining 52% of the votes, with Fidesz winning 227 seats and KDNP winning 36...
. As a result the party was compelled to mobilize primarily at the local level. This in turn brought it closer to the immediate concerns of the Hungarian electorate, allowing it to be acutely conscious of the severe local effects of the global financial crisis, and the notable rise in crime (or arguably, the rise in the perception of crime – see 3.4 Law and Order).
The party faced its first electoral test with the coming of the 2009 European parliamentary elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
. Once again however, it felt that it was being intentionally excluded by the media from the opportunity of presenting its (symbolically 56 page) manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
to the public; while being slandered internationally by a national political elite that “feared the Hungarian nation finally getting into their own parliament.” Consequently, Gábor Vona
Gábor Vona
Gábor Vona is a Hungarian politician and the leader of the Hungarian nationalist political party Jobbik. He was born on 20 August 1978 in Gyöngyös...
, the party chairman; and Krisztina Morvai
Krisztina Morvai
Krisztina Morvai is a Hungarian lawyer. She was elected on the list of the political party Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom in the 2009 European Parliament elections. Although Morvai is not a member of Jobbik, the party already declared her as its future nominee for the position of the president...
, arguably the country’s most famous human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
advocate (who had agreed to head the party’s list), conducted a nationwide tour to take the party manifesto directly to the electorate. The election’s results surprised Jobbik as much as it shocked their opponents: the party sending three MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
to Strasbourg
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
; coming close to level with the governing Hungarian Socialist Party
Hungarian Socialist Party
The Hungarian Socialist Party describes itself as a social democratic party in Hungary. It is the partial successor of the communist Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party , which ruled Hungary between 1956 and 1989. The decision to declare the party a successor of the MSZMP was controversial, and...
(MSZP) while eliminating their liberal coalition partner SZDSZ
Alliance of Free Democrats
The Alliance of Free Democrats – Hungarian Liberal Party is a liberal party in Hungary, led since July 2010 by Viktor Szabadai . The SZDSZ is a member of the ELDR and of Liberal International...
, to become the nation’s third party. Unsurprisingly, Morvai’s first speech to the European parliament called for the chamber to be conscious of human rights abuses within the community, i.e. Hungary, in order to secure legitimacy about them taking place in other nations, i.e. Iran
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
; she asserted that every major anti-government demonstration had suffered the same fate since 2006. Vona himself was pepper sprayed, handcuffed and arrested at a seated protest in Budapest on 4 July 2009, a demonstration whose legality is still a matter of dispute. In doing so he consolidated his appeal to those who felt that the original protesters of 2006 had been abandoned by Orbán
Viktor Orbán
Viktor Orbán is a Hungarian populist and conservative politician and current Prime Minister of Hungary...
. (Unlike Orbán, Vona actively joined a demonstration after the police had begun violent efforts to break it up.) Jobbik said of the incident, that “The violent arrest and forcible detention of the leader of a major European opposition party [was] a sickening development, and without precedent in the 21st Century.”
Hungary's 2010 parliamentary elections
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010
A parliamentary election was held in Hungary on 11 and 25 April 2010 to choose MPs for the National Assembly. They were the sixth free elections since the end of communist era. The 386 members of parliament were elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies...
saw Jobbik cement its posititon as the nation's 3rd largest party, doubling the vote it had received in the previous year and getting just 3 seats less than the previous ruling party MSZP.
International relations
October 25, 2009 Jobbik founded the Alliance of European National MovementsAlliance of European National Movements
The Alliance of European National Movements was formed in Budapest on 24 October 2009 by a number of nationalist and far-right parties from countries in Europe...
in Budapest together with political parties from four European countries, Nationaldemokraterna
National Democrats (Sweden)
The National Democrats is a minor political party in Sweden, formed by a faction of the Sweden Democrats in October 2001. The party describes itself as a democratic nationalist and ethnopluralist party....
(Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
), Fiamma Tricolore
Fiamma Tricolore
The Tricolour Flame Social Movement , normally just Tricolour Flame, is a neo-fascist Italian political party.-History:...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), Front National
Front National (France)
The National Front is a political party in France. The party was founded in 1972, seeking to unify a variety of French far-right currents of the time. Jean-Marie Le Pen was the party's first leader and the undisputed centre of the party from its start until his resignation in 2011...
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) and the Front National (Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
).
Manifesto and political programme
The original programme (in Hungarian) contains 88 pages. There is a shortened English language manifesto: (24 pages)Linguistic clarifications
The Movement for a Better Hungary more commonly goes under its abbreviated name Jobbik , which is in fact a play on words. The word Jobb in Hungarian has two meanings, the adjective for “better” and the direction “right,” the comparativeComparative
In grammar, the comparative is the form of an adjective or adverb which denotes the degree or grade by which a person, thing, or other entity has a property or quality greater or less in extent than that of another, and is used in this context with a subordinating conjunction, such as than,...
Jobbik therefore means both ‘the more preferable choice’ and ‘more to the right’. This is similar to the English "Right Choice" meaning both Conservative and Proper.
Jobbik is associated with the re-emergence of a Hungarian greeting, coined by the Levente
Levente (organization)
Levente Associations or simply "levente" were paramilitary youth organizations in Hungary in the interwar period and during the Second World War. It was established in 1921 with the declared purpose of physical and health training...
(a veteran led youth cadet organization formed nationally in 1921); namely the call “May God grant” (Adjon az Isten) and response “a brighter future” (Szebb Jövőt!).Call and response greetings are a feature of Hungarian communication, particularly in rural communities. Chiefly the call Dicsértessék a Jézus Krisztus and response Mindörökké, ámen! which is the Hungarian language version of Laudetur Jesus Christus
Laudetur Jesus Christus
Laudetur Jesus Christus or Laudetur Iesus Christus is a traditional Roman Catholic greeting, which is commonly used among members of religious communities, especially of certain ethnic backgrounds. The answer to this greeting is typically "In sæcula! Amen" or " in aeternum! Amen"...
. The verbatim meaning of this greeting is “God grant” (Adjon az Isten), “A nicer future!” (Szebb Jövőt!); though the version rendered in the text retains the meaning while scanning better in English. This may be used as a personal salutation or as a form of address, and is frequently abbreviated to Szebb Jövőt! as a verbal or written valediction
Valediction
A valediction , or complimentary close in American English, is an expression used to say farewell, especially a word or phrase used to end a letter or message, or the act of saying parting words- whether brief, or extensive.For the greetings counterpart to valediction, see salutation.Alternatively,...
; by those sympathetic to the mainstream nationalist movement.
The meaning of the party’s 2009 election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Hungary)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Hungary was the election of the delegation from Hungary to the European Parliament in 2009. Hungary delegated 22 members to the European Parliament based on the Nice treaty and the election took place on the 7th of June.-Candidates:Among the candidates...
slogan “Hungary belongs to the Hungarians” (Magyarország a Magyaroké!) was also the subject of considerable scrutiny.It should be noted that the word for Hungary in the Hungarian language (Magyarország) means “the land of the Magyars”; the ethnic group which according to the most recent census constitute 94.4% of the country’s population (though the size of the Roma population is frequently a matter of dispute). Some critics thought the slogan essentially tautological, while others were sufficiently concerned to mount a successful complaint at the National Electoral Commission; which ruled it “unconstitutional” on the very eve of the election. Jobbik maintained that the use of the slogan’s wording was justified because Hungary’s political and economic elite had been engaged in enriching themselves through placing the majority of the country’s significant assets into private or foreign ownership.
Radical nationalism
Gábor VonaGábor Vona
Gábor Vona is a Hungarian politician and the leader of the Hungarian nationalist political party Jobbik. He was born on 20 August 1978 in Gyöngyös...
has set out his thoughts in "What do we mean by radicalism?" Jobbik rejects the common classification of the political spectrum in left and right. It prefers a distinction of political parties based on their stance towards globalisation. On this scheme, the party sees itself as patriotic.
Jobbik's ideology has been described as right-wing populism
Right-wing populism
Right-wing populism is a political ideology that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing" because of its rejection of social equality and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration, and...
, whose strategy “relies on a combination of ethno-nationalism with anti-elitist
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
rhetoric and a radical critique of existing political institutions.”Right-wing populism
Right-wing populism
Right-wing populism is a political ideology that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing" because of its rejection of social equality and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration, and...
(As a result Jobbik is part of an increasing Europe-wide trend, which began with the Danish Progress Party
Progress Party (Denmark)
The Progress Party is a political party in Denmark, which was founded in 1972. Its founder, the former lawyer Mogens Glistrup, gained huge popularity in Denmark after he appeared on Danish television, showing that he paid 0 % in income tax...
in 1972, and finds its most significant contemporary manifestation - in terms of most likely to actually form a government - in the Dutch Partij voor de Vrijheid
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom is a Dutch right-wing political party. Founded in 2005 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man party in the House of Representatives, it won nine seats in the 2006 general election, making it the fifth largest party in parliament, and third largest opposition party. It...
led by Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
.) The most conspicuous advocate of the Hungarian expression of this right-wing populist trend, radical nationalism,No English language version has yet been rendered of the Hungarian Wikipedia article on the phenomenon of Hungarian Radical nationalism. Though "Radical nationalism" is accurate semantically
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
, in Hungarian it is given in the reverse format Nemzeti radikalizmus ("National [or rather: nationist [sic]] radicalism") due to the fact that the Hungarian noun for "Nationalism" (Nacionalizmus) has a primarily negative associative connotation
Connotation
A connotation is a commonly understood subjective cultural or emotional association that some word or phrase carries, in addition to the word's or phrase's explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation....
with the 1940s; rather than a positive patriotic one. is the “articulate and softly spoken former History teacher” Gábor Vona
Gábor Vona
Gábor Vona is a Hungarian politician and the leader of the Hungarian nationalist political party Jobbik. He was born on 20 August 1978 in Gyöngyös...
; who was elected chairman of Jobbik at the age of 27. Vona’s radical nationalism actively rejects the conventional classification of the Left-Right political spectrum
Left-Right politics
The left–right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions, political ideologies, or political parties along a one-dimensional political spectrum. The perspective of Left vs. Right is a binary interpretation of complex questions...
; which he views to be inherently false and misleading. He supports this contention by pointing to what he calls the persistent inability of this convention to provide solutions to the most pressing issues of the day. For Vona, the division between Left and Right, as commonly understood, is an essentially illusory perspective.
In the place of this illusory divide Jobbik substitutes the twin ideologies of, first, a virtually unrestrained capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
(namely economic Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
), and second, modern social liberalism
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
(deemed to include Political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
and Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
); which it maintains are the two primary forces actually governing the lives of the modern European
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(and by extension Hungarian) citizen. But it is also mistaken to believe that these two ideologies are opposed, and in conflict. For Jobbik they represent the status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
, to which the majority of established politicians unquestioningly subscribe. Moreover, any questioning would be pointless because these twin ideologies operate at the trans-national rather than national level. They are imposed and enforced by the directives and regulations of the European Union
Institutions of the European Union
The European Union is governed by seven institutions. Article 13 of Treaty on European Union lists them in the following order: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European...
, which in the form of the Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
has already exclusively appropriated the most significant executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
powers of national governments; and whose democratic removal the European elector is (by design) incapable of achieving. As a result the Hungarian citizen is forced to endure a succession of day-to-day realities that fly in the face of their own interests; and there is nothing of merit that politicians from the two main parties can do about it, as a result they either spend their time enriching themselves, or manufacturing political controversies over symbolic issues in order to divert attention from their own impotence and corruption. This is the radical
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
element of Jobbik's ideology.
The nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
element comes from the suggested solution to this dilemma. As these two currently governing ideologies are considered, by definition, indifferent to the economic fate or cultural survival of the Hungarian people: nationalism is revealed as a sensible, intelligent and worthwhile political choice. And a new and realistic divide emerges, which permits one to make valid and useful distinctions between policy options or Euro-legislation. Namely, does it serve the national interest, or not. As Morvai Krisztina remarked on the 2009 campaign trail, “We have no use in Hungary, for those laws, which in our own land actively disadvantage Hungarians and prioritise the interests of foreigners.” Consequently, Vona has stated that he sees one of the key functions of the party to be compelling those in Hungarian public life to profess which side of this actual political dividing line they occupy. To declare “on which side of the real barricade they stand.” The party’s magazine is entitled “Barricade” (Barikád) for this reason.
Jobbik's interpretation of Hungarian nationalism also includes the ideology of Turanism
Hungarian Turanism
Hungarian Turanism is a Hungarian nationalist ideology which stresses the alleged origins of the Hungarian people in the steppes of Central Asia and the affinity of the Hungarians with Asian peoples such as the Turks. The idea of the necessity of "Turanian brotherhood/collaboration" was borrowed...
which stresses the (alleged) origin of the Magyar peoples in Central Asia, and the links of the Hungarians to Asian, especially Turkic peoples. Therefore Jobbik leader Gábor Vona favors Hungaria turning away from the West (including the Euro-Atlantic alliances) and towards the "East", to form a "Turanian alliance" whose "Western bastion" Hungary should become.
Jobbik's Greater Hungarian
Greater Hungary (political concept)
Greater Hungary is the informal name of the territory of Hungary before the 1920 Treaty of Trianon. After 1920, between the two World Wars, the official political goal of the Hungary was to restore those borders. After World War II, Hungary abandoned this policy, and today it only remains a...
irredentist
Irredentism
Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan-nationalist movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural...
claims can be found in pleas for cross-border ethnic self-determination. For example, the party demands "territorial autonomy" for the Székely Land
Székely Land
The Székely Land or Szekler Land refers to the territories inhabited mainly by the Székely, a Hungarian-speaking ethnic group from eastern Transylvania...
in Romania and desires to make Transcarpathian Ukraine
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
an independent Hungarian district.
Cultural conservatism
Jobbik claims that its definition of Magyar national identity was essentially cultural.Policy position
The European Union
Jobbik's views about the Lisbon Treaty:The economy
Jobbik rejects the globalised capitalism, and the influence of foreign investors in Hungary.The Eco-Social National Economy:
Hungarian minorities
Hungarian Autonomous Province
The Magyar Autonomous Region and Mureş-Magyar Autonomous Region were autonomous regions in the People's Republic of Romania .-History:In 1950, Romania adopted a Soviet-style administrative and territorial division of the country into...
.
Of the three victorious powers of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
it was the United States under Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
which argued for self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
amongst the ethnic communities of the Austro-Hungarian empire.The city of Sopron
Sopron
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
was given the opportunity of deciding whether it wished to become part of Hungary or Austria through a plebiscite
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
in 1921 following unrest. It decided on the former, but no other town was again granted the privilege. France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
however, arguably had a broader strategic agenda of ensuring that any future resurgent Germany would not have a European industrial ally to call upon. They therefore sought by their boundary decisions, primarily to economically cripple Austria and Hungary respectively to ensure this objective. Though their intentions are a subject of debate, two consequences of their actions nevertheless followed. First, Austria-Hungary having been an autarky
Autarky
Autarky is the quality of being self-sufficient. Usually the term is applied to political states or their economic policies. Autarky exists whenever an entity can survive or continue its activities without external assistance. Autarky is not necessarily economic. For example, a military autarky...
, its successor states were indeed economically crippled; Germany in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had no such industrially significant ally.) Second, the Treaty of Trianon
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
(which in 1920 specifically partitioned the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
) left large ethnically Hungarian communities (whose residence had spanned centuries) outside the territorial border of modern Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
; such communities today making up one quarter of Central Europe’s Magyar population. As a consequence the Hungarian constitution
Constitution of Hungary
The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary , its fundamental law, was adopted on 20 August 1949, and heavily amended on 23 October 1989. It is Hungary's first and only permanent written constitution; the country is the only former Eastern Bloc nation that did not adopt an entirely new constitution...
states that, “The Republic of Hungary bears a sense of responsibility for what happens to Hungarians living outside of its borders and promotes the fostering of their relations with Hungary.”
However, according to Jobbik, successive Hungarian governments have found it inconvenient to honour this commitment. The resolution of the Magyar minority issue was sold as a chief benefit of joining the European Community. In Jobbik's view, the EU seems merely to have hoped that accession would have made this issue somehow disappear. Jobbik sees the EU's continued and resolute refusal to get involved in any alleged incident of the infringement of Magyar minority rights as being in stark contrast to frequent and repeated highlighting of the Roma minority issue. In Hungary, Jobbik argues, minority issues are actively promoted and defended (through exclusive multi-ethnic radio and TV times, and dedicated social funding); the deliberate curtailment of Magyar rights is seen as not merely a rhetorical feature of the political extremes of some neighbouring countries, but actually a part of official government policy or of persisting legislation. (e.g. the Beneš decrees
Beneš decrees
Decrees of the President of the Republic , more commonly known as the Beneš decrees, were a series of laws that were drafted by the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II and issued by President...
) Jobbik campaigns for these communities to be given the opportunity of self-determination that was originally denied them. As a result the party has caused concern amongst those whose political or constitutional principles are strictly opposed to even countenancing such a proposal, due to commitments to territorial integrity.
Controversy
The Hungarian Guard
The symbolCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Guard, the crest of King Emeric
Emeric of Hungary
Emeric I , , King of Hungary and Croatia . He was crowned during his father's lifetime, but after his father's death he had to fight against his brother, Andrew, who forced Emeric to assign the government of Croatia and Dalmatia to him...
, decorated with lions and Árpád stripes, which is also part of their uniform.
In June 2007 president Vona, supported by the party, founded and registered the organisation called Magyar Gárda, which says in its deed of foundation that it intends to become “part or core” of the national guard to be set up in accordance with the Bethlen Gábor programme, and it also wishes to participate actively “in strengthening national self-defence” and “maintaining public order” as well as supporting and organising social and charity missions, in disaster prevention and civil defence. The foundation of the Guard was accompanied by sharp political debate.
On 10 March 2008 three leading figures resigned from the party: Dávid Kovács
Dávid Kovács
Dávid Kovács is a Hungarian politician, former founding member of the Movement for a Better Hungary. He served as chairman of the party since the beginnings until 2006...
, the founding president of the party, Ervin Nagy, committee chairman, and Márton Fári, former chairman of the party’s ethical committee. They indicated the Hungarian Guard as the cause of their resignation, stating that "Jobbik has been merged inseparably with the Guard, taking responsibility for something that it cannot really control in the long run".
On 2 July 2009 the Metropolitan Court of Appeal (Fővárosi Ítélőtábla) disbanded the "Magyar Gárda" Organization because the court held that the activities of the organization were against the human rights of minorities
Minority rights
The term Minority Rights embodies two separate concepts: first, normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or sexual minorities, and second, collective rights accorded to minority groups...
as guaranteed by the Hungarian Constitution. The Guard has attempted to reorganize itself as a civil service association, known as the Magyar Gárda Foundation, engaged in cultural and nation building activities rather than politics. Its renewed activities are opposed by the Hungarian authorities and prosecutors claim that the founding of the new organization is in contempt of previous court rulings.
Jobbik argues that the national police
Law enforcement in Hungary
Law enforcement in Hungary is split among the Police and Border Guards, and the Customs and Excise Authority. Since 2006, the Police has been subject to the Ministry of Justice, when the Ministry of Interior was re-structured to deal with Municipalities and Regional Development...
should be greatly strengthened and -with the FIDESZ
Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union
The Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union is a major conservative party in Hungary. At the 2010 election in Hungary, Fidesz-KDNP won a two-thirds majority of seats by gaining 52% of the votes, with Fidesz winning 227 seats and KDNP winning 36...
- supports introducing an "three strikes law
Three strikes law
Three strikes laws)"are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became...
"
The radical right wing in Hungary, including Jobbik protested against Israeli President
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
, after he said that "Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is buying up Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
".
The Roma issue
Besides its declarations regarded as anti-ziganistAntiziganism
Antiziganism or Anti-Romanyism is hostility, prejudice or racism directed at the Romani people, also known as Gypsies.As an endogamous culture with a tendency to practise self-segregation, the Romanis have generally resisted assimilation with the indigenous communities of whichever countries they...
by the party’s critics, some members brought back the use of the term gipsy crime which was in official use before the 1990s by the authorities. Gipsy crime in this sense is used to refer to criminal acts typically attributed to members of the Romani community.
Allegations of fascism
The party has strenuously denied allegations of anti-semitism or racism, as being either politically motivated or simply false. It has also dismissed the criticism of perceived anti-semitism, racism and homophobia as the "favourite topics" of an "ignorant and misled" European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Even so, the movement has been accused of playing on those fears. Jobbik has also been linked to homophobic incidents in Budapest. In London on 16 May 2008 the delegation of Jobbik's Committee of Foreign Affairs met Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
, chairman of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. They discussed cooperation between the two parties, and the elections for the European Parliament. Griffin spoke at the party rally in August 2008, while former vice-president Zoltan Füzessy is presently resident in Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Jobbik claims to reject violence and support democracy.
Charges of anti-Semitism
On the eve of the 2009 elections to the European parliamentEuropean Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
, a comment was posted on an unofficial and unverified Hungarian political internet forum, allegedy in the name of Prof. Krisztina Morvai, who then headed the party’s electoral list. Addressing their remarks to Hungarian Jews the comment poster stated that they “would be glad if the so-called proud Hungarian Jews went back to playing with their tiny circumcised dicks instead of vilifying me.” News of this comment, which has been roundly condemned, spread rapidly around the world and eventually even featured in an article by The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. (Whose readership immediately questioned the wisdom of using an unverified 3rd party forum posting as an authoritative source.) Morvai’s critics have pointed to her refusal to even discuss the issue, let alone deny it; implying that this is sufficient to unquestioningly ascribe authorship of the remarks to her.
Her supporters however, claim that though she certainly has a record of being critical of the state of Israel given a sympathy for the Palestinian cause she developed while working as an international human rights lawyer, the idea of Morvai being an anti-Semite is "simply ridiculous," given that at the time of her alleged remarks she was married to an Hungarian of Jewish origin, with whom she has three children, but from whom she is now separated.
In a newsletter published by a group calling itself The trade union of Hungarian police officers prepared for action, the following was allegedly printed: "Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews." The editor of the union, Judit Szima, is a Jobbik candidate in the upcoming election for the European Union parliament. Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
alleged Szima "didn't see anything wrong with the content of the article." The trade union denies that they published such a statement and announced that they would demand a retraction from the European Jewish Congress.
Election results
For the Hungarian Parliament:| Elections | Number of votes (1st round) | Percentage of votes (1st round) | Number of votes (2nd round) | Percetage of votes (2nd round) | Number of seats | Percentage of seats | Role played in Parliament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 Hungarian parliamentary election, 2006 The schedule of the 2006 Hungarian parliamentary elections, as announced by president László Sólyom was as follows:* first round on April 9, 2006* second round on April 23, 2006... * |
119,007 | 2.20% | 231 | 0.007% | 0 | 0% | extra-parliamentary |
| 2010 Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010 A parliamentary election was held in Hungary on 11 and 25 April 2010 to choose MPs for the National Assembly. They were the sixth free elections since the end of communist era. The 386 members of parliament were elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies... |
855,436 | 16.67% | 141,323 | 12.26% | 47 | 12.18% | opposition |
*In an electoral alliance with MIÉP
Hungarian Justice and Life Party
The Hungarian Justice and Life Party is a far-right nationalist political party in Hungary led by István Csurka...
, under the name of the "MIÉP-Jobbik Third Way Alliance of Parties
MIÉP-Jobbik Third Way Alliance of Parties
The MIÉP–Jobbik Third Way Alliance of Parties was an electoral alliance in Hungary led by István Csurka. In 2005, the Hungarian Justice and Life Party joined forces with a newer political party, namely the Movement for a Better Hungary and the agricultural Independent Smallholders Party...
", joined by Independent Smallholders’ Party
Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party
The Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party is a political party in Hungary...
(FKgP) organisations from 15 counties.
For the European Parliament:
| Elections | Number of votes | Percentage of votes | Placing (nationally) | Number of seats | Group in the European Parliament | Subgroup in the European Parliament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 European Parliament election, 2009 (Hungary) The European Parliament election of 2009 in Hungary was the election of the delegation from Hungary to the European Parliament in 2009. Hungary delegated 22 members to the European Parliament based on the Nice treaty and the election took place on the 7th of June.-Candidates:Among the candidates... |
427,773 | 14.77% | 3rd | 3 | Non-Attached Members Non-Inscrits Non-Inscrits are Members of the European Parliament who do not sit in one of the recognized political groups.... |
Non-Attached Members Non-Inscrits Non-Inscrits are Members of the European Parliament who do not sit in one of the recognized political groups.... |
- † 2009 Seat winners:
-
- Krisztina MorvaiKrisztina MorvaiKrisztina Morvai is a Hungarian lawyer. She was elected on the list of the political party Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom in the 2009 European Parliament elections. Although Morvai is not a member of Jobbik, the party already declared her as its future nominee for the position of the president...
- Zoltán Balczó - His seat EP was taken over by Béla Kovács, when he became a member of the Hungarian Parliament in May 2010.
- Csanád SzegediCsanád SzegediCsanád Szegedi is a Hungarian nationalistic politician and elected Member of the European Parliament with the Movement for a Better Hungary.-External links:** on jobbik.hu -References:...
- Krisztina Morvai
-
Municipal:
Mayoral:
- TiszavasváriTiszavasváriTiszavasvári is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 13,473 people ....
- Erik Fülöp - HencidaHencida-People:János Csire was born here in 1951. After graduating from BME , he worked in the construction industry as a mid-level leader engineer. In 1990, he was elected vice mayor in the 3rd District of Budapest and served until 1995...
- László Szémán - HegyháthodászHegyháthodász-References:...
- Roland Dervalics - Gyöngyöspata - Oszkár Juhász
External links
- Official website (Hungarian)
- Official website (English)
- Electoral Manifesto (English)
- Changing of the Garda An article in The Economist about the Hungarian far right
- Deed of Foundation (Hungarian)
- "Third way" platform: The nationalist right gets together (HVG)