Hungary. Group warns against xenophobic statements

Hindus and Jews have appealed to all the Hungary political parties and politicians not to make any xenophobic anti-Roma statements during the campaign for upcoming elections.

Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman; and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement in Nevada today, expressed concern against the reported rise of intolerance against Roma community in Hungary and urged its immediate eradication.

Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of Council of Europe, who recently visited Hungary, was quoted as saying: “Of special concern has been the public use of anti-Roma hate speech by certain public figures and the lack of strong condemnation of and effective measures against a reoccurrence of such incidents.” He also urged the authorities “to improve the living conditions of the Roma minority in the country, one third of which reportedly still remains in settlements.”

Zed and Freirich further said that in Hungary, despite various government initiatives, Roma reportedly continued to face blatant discrimination, shanty town living, an atmosphere of hostility, huge unemployment rate, lower life expectancy, prejudice, significantly higher school dropout rate, racism, bias and stereotyping, school segregation, social exclusion, mistrust, human rights violations, etc. According to an estimate, less than 1% of Roma obtained higher education degrees.

Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan Freirich argued that instead of reportedly continuing to marginalize Roma socially, this country of Lake Balaton, romantic Danube River, Franz Liszt and Bela Bartok, should be more embracing of Roma brothers and sisters who had been reportedly living with them since 14th century. Hungarian government should be more proactive in protecting Roma and other minorities. Zed and Rabbi Freirich urged all religious leaders, religions and denominations of Hungary to work for the upliftment of Roma, because religion told us to help the helpless.

Roma in Hungary, whose estimated numbers sometimes reach around one million, form about ten percent of total Hungary populace, which makes it largest Roma minority as percentage of total population in the world. Current demographic trends indicate that in 2050, about 21 percentage of Hungary population will be Roma.

Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Jonathan Freirich pointed out that it was moral obligation of Europe to take care of its largest minority Roma population and stop human rights violations suffered by them, who numbered around 15 million and lived in apartheid like conditions. There seemed to be no coherent and effective policy to assimilate them into the society. Their alarming condition was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world.

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