US Holocaust Memorial Museum urges rescinding Bayer’s state award

Washington, DC, August 24 (MTI) – The Holocaust Memorial Museum of Washington, DC, condemned Hungary granting a state award to journalist Zsolt Bayer and called for rescinding the award in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The USHMM said the award is intended to recognize individuals who demonstrate excellence in service to the country and “the promotion of universal human values”. Bayer has a long record of racist speech and has written highly provocative antisemitic and anti-Roma articles in the Hungarian media, it added.

“The government has repeatedly stated a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to antisemitism. And yet it was János Lázár, minister for the Prime Minister’s Office and the government’s point person for dialog and engagement with the country’s Jewish community, who personally presented the award to Bayer,” the statement said.

USHMM said that governments have a responsibility to combat hate speech that invites violence and “this is especially true for countries like Hungary where systematic persecution and mass murder were carried out during the Holocaust with the active complicity of the Hungarian state.”

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