The Hungarian government is taking up the fight against extremism.
“The government of Hungary and the Ministry of Interior are using all possible means to counter extremism," Sándor Pintér, minister of Interior, said before presenting Righteous Among the Nations awards and Badges of Honour for Valour in recognition of the saving of Jews during the Holocaust.
The minister stressed that in today's age "we have highly-developed legal institutions at our disposal to meet the challenges posed by those who want to change law and order in Hungary through force”. Police actions regularly prevent unwanted extremists from damaging our society, and one such mission recently cost the life of a police officer, he recalled.
However, the tragedy does not reduce our commitment to act against extremist, “on the contrary, it makes us even more resolute”, we want to quell the spread of extremism before it has a chance to even take root, he said.
Illegal migration is a defining phenomenon of our times, he said, explaining that preventing terrorism and extremism as a result is currently one of the greatest challenges, and the Hungarian government is committed to keeping foreign radical groups outside the country’s borders.
Pintér said that in his opinion the Holocaust must be talked about, and we must use every possible occasion for remembrance to ensure that our generation and the ones to follow can commemorate the heroes who risked their lives to save others in a worthy manner. They knew and proved that “it is not the stipulations of the law that make it our duty to protect human life”, they knew and proved that people cannot be excluded because of their origins or religious beliefs, he explained.
Pintér presented the Badges of Honour for Valour to the Righteous Among the Nations awards in the presence of Israeli Ambassador Yossi Amrani. We must strive to assure that “the memory of terrible dictatorships remains only a memory” and that people can never again be excluded, desecrated or murdered because of their origin or religion, Pintér said, adding that “people who think responsibly agree with us and turn their backs on those who follow or support evil, extremist ideals”.