This article, by the Hungarian journalist János Gadó, has been translated and edited by Karl Pfeifer. On September 22nd, Gadó will appear in a Budapest court to face a defamation charge brought by Tamás Polgár, the far-right activist discussed below.

On April 7, 2008 we defended the Újlipótváros, a centre of Budapest Jewry. At the corner of Hollán Ernõ street, we stopped the demonstrators with black uniforms. Fighting both their fear and the mentality that “it is better not do anything,” antifascists, Budapest Jews, liberals, leftists and some conservative supporters organized themselves and waited for the extremists planning to “buy tickets.”

Earlier, a woman known in the circles of the extreme right was told by the employees of a ticket office on Hollán Ernö street that she would not be able to purchase tickets for an extreme right-wing concert there. On the websites of the extreme right, she pretended to have been insulted and they were glad to use this as a pretext.

“Hungarians are not served in this shop!” was their cry of alarm and after one week of incitement somebody threw a Molotov cocktail at this office. Because the proprietors “did not learn even from this”, Tomcat - AKA Tamás Polgár, the blogger of ill-repute - rounded up his followers and asked them to go to the office in skinhead uniforms to “buy tickets.”

They are full of energy. Since 2006, the right is dominating the streets in Budapest. It is therefore logical for them to think that they are going to show in Újlipótváros that the streets are theirs. Until now, only at nights of the national celebrations were “revolutionary acts” perpetrated in the city centre. The time has come that such actions can be perpetrated also at daytime and exactly here. Because they exclude the Hungarians! Another way of saying that relatively many Jews live here.

The message to provoke an act of intimidation became known. Seeing the danger, private indviduals who judged this act as intolerable organised themselves. Several emails were sent out and Jewish websites offered a forum. Many decent people learned this way what was planned.

György Szabó, the conservative FIDESZ representative of the XIII district in the city council informed the authorities and the city that a demonstration will take place. Mr. Szabó was present along with representatives of other parties to defend their district.

The assembled 30 skinheads were received by 400 counterdemonstrators or “ticket buyers”. The skinheads marching towards the ticket office were stopped by the police, their identity documents checked and requested to leave. “Nazis go home!” shouted the demonstrators, to which the skinheads replied “We are at home!” The demonstrators were glad to have the police on the spot.

Tomcat declared that he could not buy tickets because he is Hungarian and that he is to complain because of his democratic rights were not respected. After ten minutes of loud discussion the skinheads left, and the defenders applauded.

Tomcat returned with some of his followers and made pictures from the 5th floor of a building. When the skinheads returned the police pushed them back. The skinheads were offended that the police are defending the people with “curly hair”.

Let us stop for a moment at the T-Shirt with Hitler’s picture. What can you expect from a fellow (and his friends) who strolls with such a T-Shirt into the Újlipótváros?

The Hungarian media and websites were at the ticket office in order to listen to two different versions, believing that so the truth will come out. Probably it was a misunderstanding. Probably one can solve the conflict. Probably the Jewish-Nazi relationship is tense because of a misunderstanding.

The weekly HVG asked Tomcat: If Tomcat would be chief of government in Hungary, how would this country look?

Tomcat: It would be ruins, full of Jewish corpses and babies who were thrown to the walls. The black clad death brigades would be run through with a spear.

HVG: This is satire, I am asking a serious question.

Tomcat: No, this is not satire, this is exactly what I want to do and I long for it.