Anti-Roma paramilitary organizations in Gyöngyöspata and Hajdúhadház, March-April 2011
Timeline
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Roma man threatened with an axe in Göngyöspata
In March 2011 in Gyöngyöspata, a Roma man was threatened with an axe in front of her two-year-old daughter, allegedly also by a member of the 'Rascal Troop' paramilitary organization, coursing and shouting that 'I will use your blood to build my new house.' [1] ------------------------------------ [1] TASZ (2011) ‘Hogyan keni el a rendőrség a gyűlölet-bűncselekményeket?’ (05.10.2011), available at: http://tasz.hu/romaprogram/hogyan-keni-el-rendor...
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Pregnant Roma woman threatened in Gyöngyöspata
In March 2011, anti-Roma paralmilitary groups were patrolling in Gyöngyöspata, a village with a significant Roma poulation.[1] On the 4th of March, a group of extremist, wearing black masks, insulted and intimdated an eight-month pregnant Roma woman on the street: they were stalking her and spitting on her. The woman ran home, where she went into pre-term labour because of stress, and delivered her baby before the ambulance arrived. The premature baby had to be hospitalized in a neonatal intens...
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Roma woman insulted a non-Roma woman in Gyöngyöspata
On April 24, a 58-year-old Roma woman insulted a 50-year-old non-Roma woman, who suffered light injuries, and was taken by ambulance to hospital, while her attacker was arrested by the police because of alleged rowdyism. According to the first press communication of National Police, the incident was not anteceded by verbal conflict. [1] However, according to the president of the local Roma self-goverment, the injured non-Roma woman harrassed verbally the offender.[2] The incident followed the provisiona...
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Violent clash between paramilitary forces and Roma in Gyöngyöspata
On April 26, rightist extremists patrolling in the village of Gyöngyöspata procovated the local Roma community. The provocation resulted in a violent clash between the two sides [1]. Four extremist suffered serious injuries, and were taken to hospital: two men associated with the ‘Rascal Troop‘, a man associated both with the ‘Civil Guard for a Better Future‘ and the 'Rascal Troop', and a member of the 'Defence Force' group. Others suffered...
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Young Roma woman attacked in Gyöngyöspata
In March 2011 in Gyöngyöspata, a young Roma woman was attacked physically and verbally ('We will decorate the house with your blood!'), allegedly by a male member of the 'Rascal Troop' paramilitary organization, while she was sitting in the door of her relatives home, having her dinner. [1] ------------------------------------ [1] TASZ (2011) ‘Hogyan keni el a rendőrség a gyűlölet-bűncselekményeket?’ (05.10.2011), available at: http://tasz.h...
In March 2011, the rightist extremist group ‘Civil Guard for a Better Future‘ ('Szebb Jövőért Polgárőrség'), together with other groups, ‘Rascal Troop‘ (’Betyársereg’) and ‘Defence Force‘ (’Véderő’) started a provocative, racist demonstration in the village of Gyöngyöspata, against the Roma community,[1] which eventually lasted almost for a month. In April, the ‘Civil Guard for a Better Future‘ organised a racist campaign in Hajdúhadház as well.[2]
The Hungarian Civil Rights Union represented three alleged victims of the anti-Roma incidents in March in Gyöngyöspata:
– a young Roma woman, who was attacked physically and verbally ('We will decorate the house with your blood!'), allegedly by a male member of the 'Rascal Troop', while she was sitting in the door of her relatives home, having her dinner;
– a Roma man, who was threatened with an axe in front of her two-year-old daughter, allegedly also by the same member of the 'Rascal Troop', coursing and shouting that 'I will use your blood to build my new house', and
– a pregnant Roma woman, who went into pre-term labour because of the shocking presence and threats of the paramilitary groups. Eventually, all the three cases were terminated by the police, without investigation or prosectution regarding alleged hate crimes.[3]
In April 2011, the leader of the extremist formation ‘Defence Force‘, Mr Tamás Esze, bought private property in Gyöngyöspata, close to the Roma neighbourhood of the village, and announced the plan to establish a permanent ’national training camp’ for paramilitary extremist groups there. [4] The Defense Force recruited activists and raised money to build the camp through its website and social networking sites.[5]
On April 22, when the paralimitary camp was to open, the women and children of the local Roma community were 'evacuated' and transported by the busses of the Hungarian Red Cross to a holiday camp in Budapest; the action was organised and financed by an American businessman, Mr. Richard Field. Meanwhile the National Police took members of the, extremist group into custody, and the Minister of Interior, Mr. Sándor Pintér visited the village to calm the situation. [6]
On April 24, when the Roma women and children returned to Gyöngyöspata, a 58-year-old Roma woman insulted a 50-year-old non-Roma woman, who suffered light injuries, and was taken by ambulance to hospital, while her attacker was arrested by the police because of alleged rowdysm. According to the first press communication of National Police, the incident was not anteceded by verbal conflict. [7] However, according to the president of the local Roma self-goverment, the injured non-Roma woman harrassed verbally the home-coming Roma women and children by saying: 'Why did you come home, you should have stayed there!'[8]
On April 25, the Court relieved all the accused extremists and closed the cases. After his release, Mr. Tamas Eszes, leader of the group 'Defence Force' announced his candidacy for the mayorship of Gyöngyöspata. The next day, on April 26, renewed provocations by the rightist extremists against the local Roma community resulted in a violent clash between the two sides.[9] Four extremist suffered serious injuries, and were taken to hospital: two men associated with the ‘Rascal Troop‘, a man associated both with the ‘Civil Guard for a Better Future‘ and the 'Rascal Troop', and a member of the 'Defence Force' group. Others suffered lighter injuries, among them a Roma minor.[10]
In June, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee was inquired by the ad hoc committee of the Hungarian Parliament investigating the Gyöngyöspata events to submit an assessment on the case. The report, issued in August, highlighted on the following facts as causes of the escalation of the tension in Gyöngyöspata and Hajdúhadház:
– the police failed to dissolve a Jobbik demonstration held in March 2011,
– it took more than two weeks for the police to initiate fringement proceedings against extremist “patrols” marching up and down in the settlement's streets from the beginning of March and their intimidating actions, which were qualified later by the Ministry of Interior as rowdysm,
– the police initiated infringement proceedings only in Hajdúhadház, however, having chosen cases not carefully enough, courts have terminated all the proceedings. [11]
As a reaction to the racist paramilitary groups patrolling in Gyöngyöspata and Hajdúhadház[12] in March and April 2011, the Criminal Code has been amended in May 2011[13] ‘provocatively anti-social’ behaviour against people belonging to national, ethnic, racial or religious communities or certain groups of the population because of the victim’s real or perceived affiliation with the given group may be punished with up to three years of imprisonment. The amendment also penalises unauthorised activities to maintain public security or public order:[14] According to the justification of the proponent of the Bill the state cannot allow civil groups to appear as keepers of public order without authorisation as law enforcement is the state’s monopoly. The justification also notes that expressions which may not translate to violence against a community but which can still incite fear in members of certain groups have become frequent, contributing to ethnic-based tensions.[15]
[1] 168 Óra Online (2011) ‘Gyöngyöspata: 500 jobbikos néz farkasszemet több száz rendőrrel,’in: 168 Óra (06.03.2011), available at: http://www.168ora.hu/itthon/gyongyospata-500-jobbikos-nezz-farkasszemet-tobb-szaz-rendorrel-71421.html (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[2] Szabó, Z (2011) ‘Gárdaklónok támadása,’ in: Index (18.04.2011), available at: http://index.hu/belfold/2011/04/18/kelet-magyarorszag (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[3] TASZ (2011) ‘Hogyan keni el a rendőrség a gyűlölet-bűncselekményeket?’ (05.10.2011), available at: http://tasz.hu/romaprogram/hogyan-keni-el-rendorseg-gyulolet-buncselekmenyeket (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[4] FH (2011) Paramilitary training camp is being built in Gyöngyöspata? (Katonai kiképzőtábor épül Gyöngyöspatán?) in: Hírszerző (17.04.2011), available at: http://hirszerzo.hu/hirek/2011/4/17/20110417_roma_felelem_gyongyospata (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[5] Athena (2011) A detailed assessment of events that culminated in a physical clash provoked by extremist elements in the village of Gyöngyöspata complemented by a brief outlook and recommendations (29.04.2011), available at: http://athenaintezet.hu/en/news/read/164 (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[6] TASZ (2011) Shadow report about the events at Gyöngyöspata (Árnyékjelentés a gyöngyöspatai eseményekről), 27th September 2011, available at: http://tasz.hu/files/tasz/imce/tasz_gyongyospata_arnyekjelentes_110927.pdf (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[7] ORFK (2011) Rowdysm in Gyöngyöspata (Garázdaság Gyöngyöspatán), 24th April 2011, available at: http://www.police.hu/heves/aktualis/hev20110424.html?query=gy%C3%B6ngy%C3%B6spata (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[8] MTI (2011) Atrocity in Gyöngyöspata, injured person taken by ambulance (Atrocitás történt Gyöngyöspatán, a sérültet mentő vitte el), in: HVG.hu (24.04.2011), available at: http://hvg.hu/itthon/20110424_atrocitas_tortent_gyongyospatan_serultet (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[9] Index (2011) Bloody mass incident in Gyöngyöspata (Véres tömegverekedés Gyöngyöspatán) in: Index (26.04.2011), http://index.hu/belfold/2011/04/26/verekedes_gyongyospatan/ (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[10] TASZ (2011) Shadow report about the events at Gyöngyöspata (Árnyékjelentés a gyöngyöspatai eseményekről), 27th September 2011, available at: http://tasz.hu/files/tasz/imce/tasz_gyongyospata_arnyekjelentes_110927.pdf . (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[11] HHC (2011c) Letter to Dr. Máté Kocsis, president of the ad hoc parliamentary Committee investigating the Gyöngyöspata events (Levél Dr. Kocsis Máténak, az Országgyűlés által a gyöngyöspatai eseményeket vizsgálatára létrehozott eseti bizottság elnökének), available at http://helsinki.hu/wp-content/uploads/Helsinki_Bizottsag_valasz_gyongyospatai_eseti_bizottsagnak_2011_08_30.pdf (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[12] HHC (2011b) Events of concern in Hungary during the period of the country’s EU Presidency, June 2011, pp. 1-2, http://helsinki.hu/wp-content/uploads/HHC_Events_of_concern_in_Hungary_during_the_countrys_EU_presidency_2011June.pdf (last accessed: 29.02.2012)
[13] Hungary, Act IV of 1978 Article 174/B (1a).
[14] Hungary, Act IV of 1978 Article 217.
[15] Az Országgyűlés Alkotmányügyi, igazságügyi és ügyrendi bizottságának ajánlása (2011) Recommendations to draft amendment T/2990 of the Penal Code (Az Országgyűlés Alkotmányügyi, igazságügyi és ügyrendi bizottságának ajánlása az 1978. évi IV. törvény módosításáról szóló T/2990 sz. törvényjavaslat részletes vitájához), http://www.parlament.hu/irom39/02990/02990-0008.pdf(last accessed: 29.02.2012)
