When a woman known for her earlier anti-Roma statements appeared in a popular TV show, scandal erupted in Hungary. Apparently the owners of the TV channel in Luxembourg have no interest in the case, only the profits. Brussels has also turned a blind eye to the case because, as they say, they are “not in a position to comment on a particular TV show.”
A woman who once made scandalous anti-Roma remarks has appeared in a recent show run by the Hungarian RTL Klub television channel. In 2012 Betti, the lead character of the Farmer Wants a Wife (Hazasodna a gazda)show, wrote on her Facebook that she was inclined to mow down some Romas using a machine gun.
“I’m so fed up with gypsies that if I could, I would walk down the gypsy alley and start shooting at all of them with an Uzi. Soon the time will come that I’ll walk down the alley with an Uzi anyway, even if I wasn’t allowed! I don’t care about the consequences. There’s no other way,” reads the old post by RTL Klub’s darling, which she has already deleted.
The post was discovered by the Ripost newspaperm and the woman simply replied: “… I had reason to despair, but there is no excuse for my wording. I apologised for it then, and I am doing it again: I’m sorry …”, she wrote.
RTL Klub’s new star has already appeared in politics, when she served as cabinet chief of David Janiczak, one of the mayors of the racist Jobbik party.
Interestingly, Mr Janiczak is no stranger to such manifestations, either. In the photo below he is seen with a Hitlerlookalike.
The Hungarian RTL Klub is owned by the Luxembourg-based RTL Group. We asked the company whether they think it is acceptable to turn an anti-Roma actress into a star, but so far we have not received a reply.
As prominent EU politicians have repeatedly accused Hungary of anti-Semitism and anti-Gypsyism, we sent our questions to the leaders of the EU institutions.
We have contacted European Parliament (EP) President David Sassoli and European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova regarding the issue.There was no response from the latter, but an EP spokesperson sent this reply to V4NA.
“We are not in a position to comment on a particular TV show.”
They didn’t forget to remind us that in a resolution adopted with 545 to 96 votes and 54 abstentions during a plenary session in September, “Parliament emphasized that the Romani people in Europe suffer the most from poverty and social exclusion due to persistent anti-Gypsyism. MEPs therefore called for inclusive education, early childhood development and an end to discrimination and segregation.”