Student Council Suspended Over Lists In Hungary
- 21 Feb 2013 8:00 AM
ELTE university rector Barna Mezey on Wednesday suspended the operation of the students council at the faculty of humanities (HÖK) following reports that the organisation had compiled lists of first-year students based on whether they were Jewish or Roma and on their political affiliation and sexual orientation. Reports say the list, including slurs regarding ethnicity and appearance, was maintained by HÖK, said to be close to Jobbik, for recruitment purposes.
Mezey said the head of HÖK admitted to having broken laws on handling personal data. He ordered that the matter be reported to the police.
The Socialist Party was followed by Fidesz, Jobbik and Together 2014 in rejecting the council’s having drawn up such a list.
HÖK leader Ádám Garbai told Népszabadság and Magyar Hírlap separately that the ATV report is without any foundation and that he has no links with Jobbik whatsoever.
HÖK denied the existence of such a list, insisting that only a database was compiled of students attending a first-year camp, but without reference to their religious, ethnic or political affiliation.
The council threatened legal action against ATV, which first reported the story.
Source: Hungary Around the Clock
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