57 Jewish Tombs Vandalized In Hungary

Vandals have desecrated 57 tombs containing the remains of around 250 people at a Jewish cemetery in Hungary, Jewish groups said Monday.

“This is clearly motivated by racism,” Laszlo Rona, who heads the association of Jewish communities in Kaposvar in southwest Hungary where the incident took place over the weekend, told the MTI national news agency.

The headstones, some of which date back to the late 19th century, were knocked over and some 3.5 million forints’ (12,000 euros, $15,000) worth of damage was caused. Footprints in the muddy ground indicated two people were involved.

Attila Gelencser, speaker of the regional assembly and Kaposvar’s mayor Karoly Szita, both from Hungary’s ruling right-wing Fidesz party, slammed the vandalism, as did local organisations and opposition politicians.