Budapest, Tuesday, 6 July 2010 - As a consequence of the atrocities committed by extreme-rightists at the opening ceremony of the 15th Hungarian LGBT Festival, the associations "Stand for Yourself" and "Free People for Hungary" asks the minister of the interior Sándor Pintér to do everything in his capacities for us to be able to live in a Hungary where everyone can practice their rights safely, where we can walk on the street without fear, with our heads held high, where no one can act violently against another person.

Mr. Pintér! On 4 July 2010, a group of extremists disturbed the opening ceremony of the 15th Hungarian LGBT Festival in front of the Művész Cinema of Budapest. A young man who was leaving the scene was assaulted. The policemen, upon their arrival to the scene, restored the order, however, they advised the organisers to remove the rainbow flag, symbolising the fight of homosexual people for equal rights, as it "provoked" extremists. Unfortunately, the owner of the cinema complied with this. We would like to highlight to you, Mr. Pintér, how unacceptable a request like the removal of the flag, officially aiming at solving a problem, is from an official body that is expected to ensure the security and the life of citizens as well as the freedom of their rights. Unfortunately, this is not the first time when as a reaction to extremists' keeping citizens from practicing their rights, the police calls them to stop practicing their rights not to provoke extremists. We sincerely hope that the unfortunate events at the Művész Cinema will not be labelled as a simple act of truculence, but as a crime committed on the basis of hatred against a minority, which by no surprise necessitates a stronger punishment stipulated by law. Criminal acts like this essentially jeopardise the people's feeling of safety, their belief in democracy, in the rule of law and in equality, and through this, they endanger peace and order. When policemen tell people who are hindered in practicing their constitutional rights to try not to "provoke" extremists who hate them, they in fact tell: we cannot ensure your right to live as a citizen equal to others in your country. When the police press only charges of truculence in the case of obvious crimes of hatred and racism against members of a minority group, the Hungarian state tells the people who are threatened that their lives, rights and peace are not as important as those of others. What extremists want to achieve is exactly that nobody dare to walk on the street with a kippah, that nobody dare to put out the rainbow flag, that everyone live in fear among those who live or think differently from the extremists' stereotype of "Hungarian enough" or "superior enough". We ask the Ministry of the Interior to change this practice. We demand to do all in its capacities for us to be able to live in a Hungary where everyone can practice their rights safely, where we can walk on the street without fear, with our heads held high, where no one can act violently against another person.

Tímea Kovács
Chairwoman
"Stand for Yourself" Association

Klára Ungár
Chairwoman
Free People for Hungary

Publisher: "Stand for Yourself" Association