Chilling signs that Hungary is turning neo-Nazi

[brentspeak]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/11/AR2010041101355.html

Far-right party poised to make gains in Hungary

By PABLO GORONDI
The Associated Press
Sunday, April 11, 2010; 8:01 AM

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- A far-right party backed by black-clad paramilitary extremists was poised to make dramatic gains in Hungary on Sunday in national elections mirroring recent advances by anti-immigrant parties across Europe.

Fidesz, the mainstream center-right party led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was widely expected to gain a commanding lead in the first round of the vote Sunday - as much as 60 percent, according to recent polls.

That left the real contest for second place. With Hungary among European nations hardest hit by the world recession, the far-right Jobbik party has capitalized on rising nationalism and a resurgence of anti-Semitism and anti-Gypsy sentiment linked to the downturn. Analysts give the party a good chance to get the most votes after Fidesz, with the Gallup poll putting them at 17 percent.

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Jobbik's rise also has been aided by the popularity of the Magyar Garda, or Hungarian Guard, an extremist group whose uniforms are reminiscent of those worn in the 1940s by the Arrow Cross, Hungary's infamous wartime Nazi party.