The U.S. Embassy in Hungary condemned an article by a Hungarian official comparing George Soros, a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor, to Adolf Hitler.
On Monday, according to an English translation, the office posted on its Twitter account saying it “strongly condemns” the article, which compares a new proposal from the European Union “with the horrific murder of millions of people during the Holocaust,” according to an English translation.
Szilard Demeter, a Hungarian culture commissioner, published an opinion piece on Saturday in a pro-government publication. The piece said Europe was becoming “George Soros’ gas chamber.” He called Soros “the liberal Führer (whose) liber-aryan army deifies him more than did Hitler’s own.”
As a billionaire investor and philanthropist, Soros is often the target of far-right conspiracy theories for his donations to liberal causes.
In the article, Demeter discussed the European Union’s proposed next budget. The budget would implement provisions that could block payments to member nations who didn’t uphold certain democratic standards. Hungary and Poland have held up the budget over these provisions. Both nations are currently under investigation by the EU for allegedly undermining judicial independence and press freedom.
Demeter called the two nations “the new Jews.” He retracted the article on Sunday.
The Israeli Embassy in Hungary tweeted on Saturday, “There is no place for connecting the worst crime in human history, or its perpetrators, to any contemporary debate, no matter how essential.”
We utterly reject the use and abuse of the memory of the Holocaust for any purpose, as unfortunately appeared in an op-ed today. There is no place for connecting the worst crime in human history, or its perpetrators, to any contemporary debate, no matter how essential.
— IzraelMagyarországon (@IsraelinHungary) November 28, 2020
International Auschwitz Committee Executive Vice President Christoph Heubner said in a statement, “Not only in Hungary are Holocaust survivors disgusted and appalled by this bizarre and hateful agitation.”
Many officials in Hungary have strongly rebuked Demeter, demanding that he be removed from his post. Deputy Prime Minister Mihaly Varga said he would remain in his post because he “admitted his mistake.”
