Thousands in countryside rally against "Gypsy violence"

By: MTI
2008-12-01 09:23

Over 3,000 people joined a torchlight march in Kiskunlachaza, about 45 km south of Budapest, on Friday night, in a protest against violence after a 14-year-old local girl was murdered there a week ago.

The town's mayor Jozsef Repas addressed the gathering, lamenting the decline in public safety in the settlement. Although the murderer or murderers have not been identified, Repas said: "Kiskunlachaza has had enough of Roma violence!" He also said that police were often branded "racist" if they tried to act.

Participants in the march were not all local. Some came from nearby Rackeve, others from more distant towns. A 200-300-person contingent from the right wing paramilitary Hungarian Guard attended as did some members of a motorcycle group known as the Goy Motorcyclists.

There was a heavy police presence and searches of some of the marchers yielded knives and daggers.

County police are continuing their investigation of the murder. They declined to give details of new evidence, saying that if the information were made public it could influence the investigation.