The occasional peak into Jobbik’s King Attila Academy (Attila Király Akadémia) may cause the uninitiated to chuckle or raise an eyebrow at some of their bizarre, esoteric and decidedly cult-like practices. But the Jobbik academy, which serves as a training and indoctrination program for young Hungarian men who wish to find employment in the party, or in towns where the party is at the helm of the local administration, is no laughing matter. Jobbik mayors run 18 towns and village in Hungary, they have 23 members of parliament and 3 MEPs, all of whom have staffing needs. For the twenty-something Hungarian seeking employment, Jobbik now offers possibilities in both the capital and in the countryside. And this is why dozens of students subject themselves to the Attila Király Akadémia.
But what is the academy about and why did I only refer to men earlier on? As a detailed piece of investigative journalism published by the Origo news site notes, the academy maintains that women are “spiritually inferior” to men. In practice, what this means is that it isn’t easy for female candidates to gain acceptance to the academy, and when they do, they are effectively considered to be men. The experience of one former student, Zsófia L., is a case in point. When she gained acceptance to the Attila Király Academy, after being encouraged to apply by Jobbik MP György Gyula Zagyva–even though he warned her that her chances were slim, because they strongly prefer men–they consistently addressed her as “Herr” (in the German language).
“At first, I didn’t understand why they were making such a big deal about the fact that I am a woman. But when he got to know their metaphysical system of thinking a little better, I realized that the concept of gender equality did not fit into their worldview,” the former student told Origo.
Róbert Horváth, one of the academy’s instructors. Photo: Róbert Horváth’s Facebook page.
A disturbing recruitment video, which features Jobbik leader Gábor Vona and examples of the archery and military training that form part of the curriculum, shows a room full of men in their twenties sitting on the floor in military fatigues, soaking in various lectures and presentations. Students at the academy learn about how the 1848/49 Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence was a “left-wing conspiracy,” and how this was the “uprising of darkness,” as many of the key leaders of the revolt rejected the monarchy and sought to establish a republic. The academy’s rector, Tibor Baranyi, believes that it is “far left-wing dilettantism” to refer to the 1848 Hungarian Revolution as a war of independence.
In terms of twentieth century Hungarian history, the academy often refers to Ferenc Szálasi, Hungary’s nazi leader after October 15th, 1944, as a role model. One of the school’s instructors, András László, noted enthusiastically that Ferenc Szálasi was never a fan of Lajos Kossuth, nor was he anti-Habsburg. An community group established by the academy’s rector proclaims that the leader of the Arrow Cross party was Hungary’s last “legitimate” political leader. Mr. Vona was somewhat more cautious: he believes that the time has yet to come, when Hungarian society is able to consider a more “nuanced” view of Ferenc Szálasi.
Students at Jobbik’s Attila Király Akadémia. Photo: HFP’s screen capture from the Academy’s recruitment video.
The Jobbik academy’s students are expected to spend one weekend per month in training. Gábor Szabó, Jobbik’s spokesperson, told Origo that the academy operates at arms-length from the party and that the party’s leadership rarely has the ability to influence the curriculum. He also noted that he did not know what percentage of Jobbik’s over 13,000 card-carrying members have gone through the academy. That having been said, Mr. Vona not only features prominently in their recruitment video, but is a lecturer at the academy. And the academy itself seems to be a joint venture between Jobbik and the Sixty-Four Counties Youth Movement (HVIM), one of the country’s most prominent far-right networks.
Some prominent right-wingers have also taught courses at the academy, including Mihály Zoltán Orosz, the extremist mayor of the town of Érpatak, as well as the late Lajos Für, Hungary’s minister of defence between 1990 and 1994 and former chairman of the now defunct Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF).
While for the past year Jobbik has been trying to moderate its image, in order to appeal to disillusioned Fidesz supporters, in rural Hungary and in institutions like the Attila Király Academy, they are very much behind the rising tide of extremism among young Hungarians.
