BUDAPEST, Hungary – Gábor Vona, the leader of Hungary’s minority Jobbik nationalist party has described the gay EuroGames being held in Budapest this summer as “the end of the world.”
The LGBT EuroGames are an annual European sporting event governed by the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF). It is the biggest athletic event for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Europe. Last year’s EuroGames were held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Speaking to an invited audience, Vona, in reference to the EuroGames, said, “God is my witness; it’s not some kind of homophobia but merely common decency that makes me say that this really is the end of the world.”
Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom, (The Movement for a Better Hungary) is described as a Hungarian radical nationalist political party. Jobbik has been denounced by press outlets and its political opponents as fascist, anti-Semitic and homophobic. It is Hungary’s third largest party.
Hungary, however, remains a tolerant society as far as gay rights and acceptance of LGBT people. Held annually, Budapest Pride was the first such event in the former communist region of Europe, and draws a steady, but moderate number of LGBT people and their supporters.
