The Hungarian Jewish Faith Alliance filed an official complaint Tuesday over racial discrimination in an incident that mixes politics and arts in the northern town of Eger.
The complaint to the public prosecutor's office was prompted by an audio recording, in which well-known Hungarian actor Jozsef Szekhelyi is called “a filthy Jew”.
This relates to an incident last year in Eger where the actor, cast in more than 50 local films, was denied participation in the annual cultural festival because “he was not welcome by the inhabitants of the city”.
“Just because everybody says that Szekhelyi is a filthy Jew..., he is still a good actor who is fantastic at reciting (15th-century French poet Francois) Villon,” said one of the participants at a local cultural board meeting in September 2011, according to the recording.
The Jewish Mazsihisz alliance asked the prosecutor to investigate the incident and to hold those involved accountable.
Laszlo Habis, the mayor of Eger, also ordered an investigation of the meeting of the committee on culture and tourism.
Szekhelyi hurt some locals' feelings back in 2005 when he authored a parody, widely considered “vulgar”, of the Hungarian national anthem and of current right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban. - Sapa-AFP