Thread: Hungary (pecs) racism?

Hey, Im a student who are planning to study in Hungary.
Im from Norway but of south american origin(Peru, but many people think I am colombian). I have a main concern while thinking about studying in eastern europe, and thats racism. I have heard that facism, racism and the far-right is on the rise in this region. How do you think this will affect me as a non-white student?
have someone else experienced racism while studying in Pecs( Hungary)?
Im most afraid of unprovoked racist violence and not some looks on the streets.

Another reason for my concern is the story of a norwegian of asian origin who was beaten up by neonazi thugs while studying medicine in Poland. Have such incidents occured in Hungary and is it a common occurence?

Hello again

In response to your question I am not a student in Hungary but actually I was a university teacher here in Budapest for several years.

I am an American of Jewish origin and the overt increase in anti-Semitism in the recent year has been palpable here. It saddens me to report on such developments here because I have loved Hungary and lived here many years. But the following are factual accounts taken from the Hungarian press of the last year:

The new party I mentioned in a previous post which has just entered Parliament that explicitly publicly declared the United States and Israel as "enemies of Hungary". has created a paramilitary organization with uniforms designed to resemble the Hungarian fascist party of World War II that was allied with Nazi Germany. The head of this party wore this uniform to his inauguration in Parliament even though it is banned by the Hungarian court.

A prominent editor of a literary journal has written that all the books of [Hungary's most prominent Jewish writers] should be removed from the library and destroyed.

As I cited in an earlier post a head of a police union (who was running for EU parliament at the time) wrote an editorial (among others) in her union's newspaper telling Hungarians "[W]e must prepare for armed battle against the jews."

These people are trying to propel Hungary back to the Middle Ages and partly succeeding. There have been a string of murders against Roma people here in the last year -- including firebombings of children. And just this past Passover in Budapest a Rabbi's home was attacked while he was at dinner with friends inside.

These are all verifiable in the English-language press online for those who wish to learn more. I have experienced multiple incidents already in connection with this in Budapest.

People must make their own choices of course and I would suggest that anyone get a range of viewpoints so as to be able to choose in an informed way.

As for me I am presently preparing to return to the US where I may live freely without such concerns. I don't make this change lightly as I had felt Hungary would be my lifelong home.

Originally Posted by african_child

Hi,
You seem well acquainted with the Hungarian political system. This tells me how much you know about this country to the finest details. And for this, I admit you're in a better position to speak about Hungary than I am. However, while not contradicting any of your claims, I hasten to add that my experiences so far have been that of a 2nd year medical student studying in Debrecen. Obviously, I don't follow the politics here. I don't even know the name of the prime minister here. My stressful academics won't allow me.
On the other hand, for those whose interest is education, I would say Hungary is a good choice for those who have very few or no options left. But if your purpose is something else, then I cannot guarantee that my arguments so far apply to you.
Lastly, thank you Blaine for your input. Any contribution is welcome. Believe me, long after you've forgotten you posted something here, your posts would still continue to help others in deciding whether to come to Hungary or not.

Hey ac, i am a prospective dentisty student at semmelweis and just wanted to know as to what exactly u meant by hungary being a choice for those left with no other(or limited). Do you mean its not that good if u have other choices. I am just curious what exactly u meant by that...I am from Canada btw

Thanks

Originally Posted by apparentdiamond

Hey ac, i am a prospective dentisty student at semmelweis and just wanted to know as to what exactly u meant by hungary being a choice for those left with no other(or limited). Do you mean its not that good if u have other choices. I am just curious what exactly u meant by that...I am from Canada btw

Thanks

Well, being Canadian, your 1st choice is obviously Canada. Then maybe US. They have the type of teaching methods you're used to. After these, then you could look into Western Europe. Although their teaching methods may be slightly different from US and Canada, the lifestyle is almost the same. Central and Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic etc) are always the last option especially for students from North America. These countries are not as rich and developed as the others and you may find adjusting to life kinda challenging (new language, culture, teaching methods etc). But it's not something to worry about if you can adjust and strive to get the best out of your studies.
My point is that you should consider Hungary only if you can't get into (or simply don't want to study at) the Dental schools in Canada, US, UK, Ireland etc as these are English-speaking countries.

Lastly, here's a post by Dr_Cupcake which I find very well detailed and tailored to answer many of the questions you may have:

http://www.valuemd.com/hungarian-med...estions-2.html

Good luck and I wish you the best

I'm finishing my second year at Semmelweis University in Budapest and third year of overall living in Hungary. I have friends in Szeged, Pecs and Debercen, many of whom are African, Jewish, Arab, Asian and Hispanic, of all colors and ethnic origins.

Not once did anybody ever complain of a racist incident, nobody was ever assaulted in any way, not physically and not even verbally.

The country relies heavily on foreign investment, the main contribution to which is Israeli-- if Hungary was anti-Semitic as Blaine claims, Jewish/Israeli students wouldn't compose over 30% of the foreign student body of any university, and Africans from Nigeria, among other countries, who are even MORE obviously foreign, wouldn't even consider studying here. And no; nobody attempts to blend in, Israeli student groups are in abundance, wandering the streets speaking Hebrew.

The country is also a huge tourist destination. Who would become a tourist in a country quite as intolerant and as racist as Blaine seems to dub it? You walk down the streets in many Hungarian cities and you hear ALL kinds of languages, and see tourists of all colors and origins. The issue is not political; racism does not stem from politics, racism stems from the education and environment people are exposed to, and people here are well-accustomed to foreigners regardless of whether they work, just live, study, invest or tour around here. Otherwise, Barrack O won the US elections, I don't see the bible belt being more accepting of non-Christian, non-white American minorities, speaking of how "politics" influences people.

A more conservative, right-wing party has won the recent parliamentary elections. That does not mean the country is fascist, and that statement regarding it being one of two racist countries in the EU is 100% untrue, and that statistic does not exist. Like I said, a government may be elected for it's professed goals, and the current government was elected for purely economic reasons as the majority of the population remains underpaid compared to many other European countries. If you follow the news, you'd see that Hungary and the EU are attempting to avoid another Greece-style crisis in the country; it's all about the economy.

The country in general relies on foreign capital input; in the form of investment, tourism, and even education. It has a reputation for being a prime tourist attraction and it's also famous for being a hub for "medical tourism" mostly due to the abundance of thermal baths and the affordability of spa vacations. All you need to do is use some logic and think for yourself; how is that possible if it were a racist, fascist country where people get beaten in broad daylight for 'nothing'?! Would people from over 50 nationalities come to study here, and continue to do so, year after year? Iranians are obviously foreign, Africans are as well, Israelis, Arabs, Spaniards, Greeks, Cypriots, Asians, Americans, Canadians and even Scandinavians who are originally from other countries. Would they REALLY continue to come to study here, year after year, for over a decade now, if it were a fascist, extremist, anti-Semitic country?

In my opinion, in terms of foreign presence in this country, it's comparable to Oslo in which 25% of the population is foreign-born. People are just as accepting.

As for Blaine; if the claim were true, keep in mind that people never raise a finger unprovoked.

Hi All

This is a wonderful forum to have this discussion. It is mature, respectful, intelligent and focused on facts and reality – such a refreshing change from the news blogs in Hungary which often swarm with immature anti-Semitic and racist remarks. Thus I am motivated to add a few more comments here.

Dr. Cupcake's observations are right that Hungary relies greatly on health and wellness tourism, that many Israelis visit here, that a climate of peacefulness generally prevails in public etc. It is quite possible to study as a foreigner in Hungary and, particularly if one is white and western, never to engage with the culture or encounter the underlying and extensive racist views here. If that is sufficient then it is quite okay to study here (although I fully agree with African Child that the US, Canada and Western Europe are all better options. In a recent survey in the UK of the top 200 universities in the EU, Hungary had only one on the list, at number 195, and they don't have a medical school).

This doesn't mean that xenophobic and racist attitudes aren't prevalent and publicly growing here in Hungary, nor that their possibility to affect someone (as they have me) are not equally real. The New York Times had perhaps one of the fairer articles I've read on anti-Semitism in Hungary in recent years. I cannot post the link here but recommend searching for it on the New York Times site by its title ("Simmering Anti-Semitism Mars a Vibrant Hungary"). It is from 2008/05/07.

Of course Dr. Cupcake's experiences are equally valid. One impression of his that does bear refuting relates to the number of foreigners resident here. In fact the figure in Hungary is about 7%, which is about half the average for European countries.

As regards Jewish awareness of the situation here, to make the point more clearly, you can find a "topical brief" from last year by an Israeli foundation that studies racism if you do a search for it ("Hungary - the case of a a post-Communist society in crisis" by Raphael Vago at the Stephen Roth institute at Tel Aviv University). To quote: "Hungary currently represents the most extreme case among its neighbors in the emergence of right-wing, xenophobic and anti-Semitic forces…" which the paper concludes is a "dangerous, negative trend".

Hungary certainly CAN put on a friendly face toward foreigners and be warm and welcoming. Yet this can also turn out to be an unreliable indicator of actual attitudes. If one lives here and speaks Hungarian the overwhelming quality of anti-Semitism (and to a lesser extent anti-foreigner sentiment generally) in expressed attitudes is ubiquitous. Of course this may not bother people who don't know about it and who do not seek to integrate into Hungarian society. In a recent internal survey it was found that a whopping 70% of Hungarian university teachers are anti-Semitic – and this is no surprise to me based on my experience.

Cheers
Blaine

Originally Posted by galmax

Thank you for your response, altough it was not what I had hoped would be the answer. But did these violent incidents happend in broad daylight?
do you think there is a way to avoid it?

I have some other alternatives; Ireland or (west) Germany
would you suggest me to go to one of these countries instead?

I also think so.

Originally Posted by galmax

Hey, Im a student who are planning to study in Hungary.
Im from Norway but of south american origin(Peru, but many people think I am colombian). I have a main concern while thinking about studying in eastern europe, and thats racism. I have heard that facism, racism and the far-right is on the rise in this region. How do you think this will affect me as a non-white student?
have someone else experienced racism while studying in Pecs( Hungary)?
Im most afraid of unprovoked racist violence and not some looks on the streets.

Another reason for my concern is the story of a norwegian of asian origin who was beaten up by neonazi thugs while studying medicine in Poland. Have such incidents occured in Hungary and is it a common occurence?

why is there NO ONE from pecs on this forum except me?

You're gonna be fine man. dont worry. I lived there for 4 years and I have all my limbs and my head is on its place. I know there is racism, especially against asians and blacks, but I have not heard of many real mash-ups between locals and Kulföldi's (foreigners).

true story

a

P.S. if your biggest concern is racism you should think twice about living abroad.

Originally Posted by larvin

I know there is racism, especially against asians and blacks

I'll be going to Pecs in the coming month, and I'm curious about this. The thread so far seems to be mostly covering anti-semitism, but I'd like to know what to expect as a light brown guy with a Muslim name? I've grown up in a lot of places, some diverse and others extremely homogeneous (until I showed up, of course) and am pretty indifferent to this sort of thing, but I'd like someone else's opinion based on experience so that I can tell my worry-wort father something besides my optimism about Hungarian hospitality.

Would I be counted in this 'especially asian' category and periodically face racism? And what, does that mean I'll be pelted with rocks by local children or is it like most places where I'll just get stared at by elderly women?

I
Would I be counted in this 'especially asian' category and periodically face racism? And what, does that mean I'll be pelted with rocks by local children or is it like most places where I'll just get stared at by elderly women?

I'm Black and study in Debrecen and the experiences are more or less the same. Expect the following, in the order of occurrence:
1. Stared at a lot by the elderly men & woman, to annoying proportions.
2. To be ripped off by taxi drivers.
3. Wait in long queues occasionally.
And indeed some Hungarians are so hospitable that you begin to wonder if they were actually Hungarians in the 1st place. In contrast, others are intolerant to foreigners. You'll meet a few along the way. Yet another category would like to help you, but they feel intimidated (or uncomfortable ) by your English and may just dismiss you or appear unwilling to help.
But hey, we all have our various experiences.
Lastly, I don't think any kid would go out of their way to pelt you with stones (where did you get this from? LOL). No. Rather the kids get excited as they move in a single file after school with their nannies. They'll all innocently wave at you, smiling!

Hah, it was just a comically old world image I wanted to use.

But that's all fine with me. I've lived for years in the 'Bible Belt' of America and I've gotten pretty comfortable with the funny stares. And I'm mellow about customer service, so no problem.

Still, nothing a little bit of Hungarian won't solve I suppose. I know exactly how it feels to face a daunting language barrier, or any language barrier at all.