From Jobbik rallies to Southern California churches

Historica is a popular Hungarian rock band. They play “national rock” which is a mixture a hard rock and even harder-core Hungarian nationalism. One of their songs is about the heroism of Mr. Albert Wass, a fascist and a convicted World War II criminal, who received the death sentence in absentia for murdering Jews and Romanian peasants. (Historica’s Albert Wass music video.)

The band leader, Mr. Ézsiás emailed me that I shouldn’t badmouth the group behind their back. “Stand before us,” he warned.

In Budapest the group frequently plays at Jobbik rallies. Jobbik, for those of you who don’t know, is Hungary’s far-right, anti-Roma and anti-Semitic party. Their audience is young and some have neo-Nazi sympathies; they love the band. Mr. Ézsiás writes that I should mention that they frequently play to Fidesz audiences, and do quite a bit of charity work.

The group is coming to California to perform in Hungarian Reformed churches, one of their hosts is Mr. Jakabffy the Pastor at Grace Hungarian Reformed Church, in Reseda, California. He writes, “I know a lot of people are against their performance.”

The nationalist "Historica" band comes to the U.S.

The nationalist “Historica” band comes to the U.S.

Historica’s tour is sponsored by the Washington DC based “The Hungary Initiatives Foundation.” The Foundation was started with Hungarian taxpayer’s money, and it is currently directed by Mr. Tamás Fellegi, an ex-minister, and a confidant of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Mr. Fellegi is Jewish. At least he frequently mentions that while in the United States; in Hungary he never talks about his background. On the foundation’s board is Ms. Katrina Lantos Swett, the daughter of the late Congressman Tom Lantos, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Ms. Lantos Swett is a devout Mormon.

Welcome to Hungarian reality. Mr. Fellegi, a part-time Jew, and Ms. Lantos the Mormon daughter of a Jewish Holocaust survivor, are sponsoring the California tour of a far-right, nationalist band which frequently participates in the rallies of the viciously anti-Semitic Jobbik party.

Mr. Ézsiás, the band leader invites me: “We welcome you at our concerts,” he writes. I’m not going.

György Lázár

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A note from the editor:
After the publication of our article, the Hungarian Spectrum portal has reported that Katrina Lantos Swett has resigned from the board of the Hungary Initiatives Foundation.

Historica's logo.

Historica’s logo.

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