Hungarian governing party continues to criticise the US ambassador
The EP group of ruling Fidesz strongly condemns the invitation of opposition Jobbik leader and MEP Márton Gyöngyösi to a Passover dinner by the US ambassador to Hungary, group leader Tamás Deutsch said in a letter sent to fellow EP representatives.
In his letter, Deutsch called Gyöngyösi’s invitation to the Jewish Passover Seder hosted by David Pressman a “tasteless provocation” and “a shocking diplomatic and public scandal”, according to a statement sent to MTI by the Fidesz group on Monday.
Deutsch said that Gyöngyösi “as a representative of the far-right Jobbik party, had made an unprecedented anti-Semitic statement in the Hungarian parliament” and later “as Jobbik vice-president, participated as an observer in the illegal pro-Putin referendum in the separatist provinces of south-eastern Ukraine, in Donetsk, which was unanimously condemned by Western countries”.
“David Pressman’s insensitivity reveals that the US ambassador in Budapest is so biased against the Hungarian government that neither the Jobbik leader’s anti-Semitism, nor his active pro-Putin stance, nor the sensitivity of the Jewish community in Hungary, prevent him from seating Márton Gyöngyösi at the table with Jewish leaders on a Jewish holiday,” he said.
Deutsch said that the ambassador’s “behaviour is even more incomprehensible given that the ambassadors of the United States of America are treated with the highest respect in Hungary and are regarded by the government and the governing parties as representatives of one of the country’s most important allies”.
He said that “Pressman’s blunder is compounded by the fact that Márton Gyöngyösi was the only politician present at the dinner, which means that by inviting him he gave a kind of privileged status to the anti-Semitic party leader, at the same time legitimizing the anti-Semitic manifestations of Jobbik and Gyöngyösi.
He said that the group considers “Pressman’s behaviour to be distasteful and seriously provocative, and we place it among the actions of the US Democratic administration, which, despite our alliance, is increasingly openly attacking our conservative Christian-democratic government’s anti-war position as well as its prioritisation of Hungarian national interests”.
Deutsch said that “the Jewish denominations in Hungary united in condemning Ambassador Pressman’s blatant gesture, which demonstrates his total political blindness, and confirmed their disassociation from the Jobbik- Konzervativok party and its representatives”.
“In line with our political position of rejecting any attempt at external intervention in the European Union, we condemn Pressman’s tasteless provocation in the strongest terms,” he said.
We already published an article, where MEP Gyöngyösi about the Seder dinner at the US Embassy in Pesach
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10 Comments
This guy is truly a joke. He’s acting like a viceroy rather than a representative of one independent, sovereign country in another.
Mr. Pressman just not aware where he is or what he is doing. Hungary has great psychiatrist.
Deutsch needs a 1,000 words to criticize something that most competent politicians would do in two sentences. The inflammatory rhetoric from members of the Fidesz government is ridiculous. My question is what attempt was made by the Hungarian media to contact Pressman for a response because we don’t see anything here. I quite suspected the reasoning was redemption and I found Pressman’s quote:
Gyöngyösi was invited “not in spite but because of the fact he has used repulsive, repugnant antisemitic language that he has now purportedly disowned. That he was prepared to sit at my table, don a kippa surrounded by members of the lesbian, gay (and) Jewish community and have a discussion about these issues is significant,” Pressman said.
@Larry – good fact check – appreciated!
Perhaps Deutsch was just completing a homework assignment for Fidesz leadership intended to badmouth another name on the Fidesz “enemies list”. If so, he might have researched Ambassador Pressman’s Jewish and Eastern European heritage before accusing him of being insensitive to Jews and European customs. But then God forbid that one Fidesz enemy reconcile with another Fidesz enemy. That is just not good form at all.
Don’t get me wrong. I like Fidesz and have many Fidesz friends. I just don’t have as many enemies as they do.
This is how it starts- remember how the US worked to remove the twice elected president of Ukraine. The US is a very divided country at a major point in its history. The same people that were in charge then are now back in control of the US and that includes pressman. By far the biggest money behind the left is Soros money 3 times more than the next highest bidder. He also has taken control of justice in US most crime ridden cities. The Biden crime family was making millions from Ukraine when he was VP. The Ukraine US embassy worked with the dems to impeach the incoming president. It no brainer that Orban is the most admired foreign leader in the US and the left hates that. I love how the bring up LGBS . I guess they forgot the most powerful rep in Europe was Gay then to become national security advisor and one trumps closet advisor. I’m sure most don’t know that as he wasn’t trying to shove his dick down peoples throat. Like the majority of Americans, we can only hope is regime will be gone, the fate of the western world is at stake.
@Tm … That’s a lot of conspiracy / down the rabbit hole stuff to digest.
May I suggest taking it step by step and backing up with facts? Happy to read and consider, however I do appreciate facts over random, unsubstantiated stuff?
The formerly twice elected President of Ukraine fell afoul of his people when Mr. Yanukovych decided to not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement which Ukraine’s parliament had overwhelmingly approved…
I encourage anyone to read his bio. Draw your own conclusions: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Yanukovych
He’s doing OK, though! Obviously not reinstated, last year, but comfortable:
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/09/01/viktor-yanukovych-there-you-are
Pressman is Jewish but he actually taught anyone who is Christian the true meaning of Christianity at the time of Easter. The Fidesz detractors are so mired in hate that they actually lost what it means to be Christian which is to preach salvation. Anyone who is a true Christian understands the meaning of what Pressman did. These Fidesz politicians are not true Christians but pretenders and charlatans who preach hate and division.
It is clear that neither the. Hungarian government nor Pressman is happy. Pressman wrote out his criticism of the country before he landed. It is time Pressman went home and for. Biden to appoint a more reasonable envoy. A more reasonable ambassador will help improve relations between the two countries.
It is interesting that previous ambassadors from UK and US during the Trump administration did not have problems with or in Hungary.
Norbert – thanks for the intelligent response. In a democracy you would wait until the next election or hold a election for the people to decide instead of the US and EU along with Soros. I’m sure eastern UKraine might of at least had a say. Ekraine has been very corrupt with the Biden crime family being one of the most corrupt- that I do know. He was the Obama man put in charge to deal with UKraine. I also know this war would never have happened with Trump and Orbans help. This war is being run by the billions from the US and the bodies that are stacking up on both sides except the US and EU. This is all for membership in a radical left wing EU.