From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (Harel Barzilai)
Subject: HATE CRIMES: Hungary Skinhead Trial: "Crimes Against Humanity"
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 14:20:28 GMT



Topic 197       IPS: Hungary - Skinhead Trial 
hrcoord gen.racism       7:14 am  Jul 23, 1992 

From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord> 
Subject: IPS: Hungary - Skinhead Trial 

/* Written 12:16 am  Jul 23, 1992 by newsdesk in 
cdp:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all 
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of 
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'. 

Title: HUNGARY: Largest skinhead trial in Hungarian history gets 
underway 

an inter press service feature 

by krisztina fenyo 

budapest, jul 21 (ips) -- a budapest high court has begun hearing 
charges against 48 hungarian skinheads charged with ''crimes 
against humanity'' in the largest case of its kind. 

the skinheads were accused of committing a ''crime against 
national, racial and ethnic groups'' which in hungary falls under 
crimes against humanity when they went on a violent rampage in 
budapest last winter. 

besides being the largest number of skinheads to be charged at one 
time, the trial represents the first time that skinheads have been 
accused of committing crimes against humanity rather than of the 
lesser transgression of hooliganism. 

''the prosecution has now changed its conception of the charges 
and found a legal intent which is more severe than hooliganism,'' 
said defense lawyer andras halasz in a radio interview. 

''the fact that the same crimes were judged differently yesterday 
cannot influence today's judgment. the proper qualification for 
those crimes before should have been what it is today,'' counters 
prosecutor sandor kopacsi. 

the 48 defendants, many of whom are no older than 15 years of age, 
are part of a larger group that regularly goes on the rampage 
described as 'beating tours' in budapest. 

the 48 are accused of having gone on such a tour on jan. 25 of 
this year hunting down gypsies, arabs, blacks and satanists. they 
allegedly gas-sprayed and kicked a man they took for a gypsy, 
inflicted serious injuries on three blacks, damaged a car believed 
to be owned by a gypsy and then attacked a pub. 

after first trying to fend off the attacks with chairs both 
gypsies and non-gypsies saw their escape route through the 
backdoor blocked by the skinheads. several gypsies were severely 
injured before police arrived. 

the indictment of the 48 lists nine other similar incidents mostly 
against arabs and gypsies. it says the skinheads employed iron 
bars, gas spray, chains, an axe, wooden clubs, cable, a baseball 
bat, a vacuum cleaner hose and chair legs. 

many of the defendants say their racial hatred stems from similiar 
experiences in the past at the hands of gypsies and expressed fear 
that foreigners were endangering their country.  (more/ips) 

hungary: largest skinhead trial in hungarian history gets 
underwa(2-e) 

hungary: skinhead trial (2) 

''the gypsies who steal get flats because they are a minority 
while the hungarians who work don't get a flat,'' one of the 
defendants said in a radio interview. another charged that 
foreigners were given privileged access to hungarian 
universities. 

''we want a nicer world that's good for everyone, that is for the 
hungarians in hungary, for the germans in germany, where the 
country belongs to those who were born there,'' said yet a third 
skinhead. 

defense lawyer halasz blames the social turmoil in hungary for the 
skinhead's behaviour. with no cohesive force in a society in 
transition, these young people lack a place to which they feel 
they can belong, he says. ''the problem is that the cohesive force 
that they find is a negative ideology.'' 

in their radio interviews, the skinheads reinforced their lawyer's 
position, saying the sense of community and belonging was what had 
attracted them to the gang. 

''if someone shaves his head and wears a bomber jacket and boots 
other skinheads will say hello to him in the street without ever 
having met, just because they look the same,'' one said. 
(end/ips/np/kf/jmd/92) 

Conf? 
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