Thousands protest gov't boycott of conservative daily

By Hungary Around the Clock

Over 2,000 people demonstrated on Friday afternoon against Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's call to cut off state advertising in and subscriptions to Magyar Hírlap over a commentary that referred to the Roma killers of Romanian handball player Marian Cozma as "murderous animals".

Addressing the gathering outside the Prime Minister's Office on Kossuth tér, Magyar Hírlap owner Gábor Széles called Gyurcsány incompetent as prime minister and said he will go down in history as having caused more damage than 1950s dictator Mátyás Rákosi. Széles accused Gyurcsány of ruining the economy, the countryside and health care and of pushing Roma into misery.

Farkas Flórián, representing Roma group Lungo Drom, said the newspaper comments were not offensive to Gypsies and that Gyurcsány, by hiding behind Gypsies, had violated freedom of the press and expression by calling for a boycott of Magyar Hírlap.

Editor István Stefka said Gyurcsány intended to shut his newspaper's mouth. Lawyer Krisztina Morvai, MEP candidate for the far right Jobbik party, called Gyurcsány "an insane Nero" whose action had again united people.

Zsolt Bayer, author of the commentary, said Gypsies have been called by that name for 700 years and this must remain so as "they are our friends". At the same time those who attack teachers, as well as murderers, robbers and thieves who happen to be Gypsies should also be called by that name, he said.

Government spokesman Dávid Daróczi told reporters elsewhere that the call for a boycott was the right decision, as it was borne out by the tone set by those addressing the rally, and the way they spoke about the state of public affairs.