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?

If you are considering studying medicine abroad I would strongly suggest staying away from Hungary for sure.

The climate is unstable and racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic abuse is on the rise. Hungary has been officially named as one of the two most racist countries in the EU. What's more, Pecs is a border town and the new Hungarian regime is making extremely threatening noises at the neighbors - it now plans to give all ethnic Hungarians in the neighboring countries Hungarian citizenship via Parliamentary legislation likely within a few months. This is a tinderbox.

I am a long-term foreigner residing in Hungary and I can't wait to get out of here. I have been beaten bloody and unconscious in the street and hospitalized; I have been threatened, humiliated, and gang-stalked. The police and court system is generally unsympathetic. This place has become creepy in the extreme.

Based on my personal experience alone I would urge you to study elsewhere without question. I hope this helps.

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 had initially wanted to stay out of this imbroglio, as people have their own different experiences. And Blaine might be right in everything s/he claims. My purpose here is not to refute that. However, I can authoritatively say that baring a few as.s.holes, Hungarians are generally tolerant to foreigners. And honestly, I'd rather study in Hungary than in Germany. I'm black (my username says it all) and thus I might be hated more than the OP.
Let's face it, the only place one can feel safe is in one's country. Because every other person looks like you and speaks your language. Yes, there can be as.s.holes here in Hungary who hate your guts (mostly out of envy, I'd say!) but the way Blaine puts it is outrageous. Kinda blew it out of proportion a bit.
I'm curious as to where s/he lives in Hungary though.
For those interested in studying in Hungary, the best advice is to visit the school and town to see things for yourself. This is highly recommended especially for those living in Europe as the financial burden is less for them.
Many students come to study here. Mostly from Israel (in fact the high number of Jews here makes me still wonder why Blaine claims the Hungarians are anti-Semetic), Norway, Germany, Sweden, Nigeria and Iran.
The few isolated cases of attacks on foreign students I've heard in Debrecen occured late at night. Mostly drunk students walking alone late at night are victims. If you're walking back home late at night drunk from a pub, then be in the company of at least one of your friends or just call a taxi. You're 110% safe that way.
Like I said, for the most part your safety here depends on your lifestyle, where you live...and yes, a little bit of bad luck.

Hi

Excuse my delay in replying. I am from the US and I am living in Budapest and have been living here for much of my adult life. I have seen a lot of changes in Hungary over the past couple of decades.

The violent incident I described happened in broad daylight yes. Even though I was hospitalized from it. Although the police were called I can only describe their response as comic and totally unsupportive. They did not even take a description from me of what happened.

I do not wish to dwell on the negative and of course the other poster from Hungary is correct. Everyone should see and decide for themselves. I know my experience is not shared by Hungarians.

But you should know that a radical new party has just entered the Hungarian Parliament in these weeks with about 15% of the popular vote. They ran on a platform that included a public statement that Israel and the United States are enemies of Hungary. One of their candidates for European Parliament was the secretary-general of a Hungarian police trade union and she wrote in her newsletter, while she was running for this office and in order to increase her popularity: Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews. If you do a google search for Hungary and anti-semitism you will get over 200,000 replies.

Sadly based on my own personal experience I can only advise that this and other growing violent and stressful aspects of Hungarian life must factor into anyone's decision to relocate here in this time. Of course this is only one man's experience but I do feel it is important enough to want to share it here.

Thanks for this respectful and helpful forum. If there are any further questions or the wish for further discussion I'm happy to try to address it.

PS: Regarding the follow-up question from galmax: I have never been to Ireland. West Germany seems like a fantastic place for living -- I have been several times for conferences and travel -- and I can only suppose you would be happy there pursuing your medical studies.

Originally Posted by Blaine

Hi

Excuse my delay in replying. I am from the US and I am living in Budapest and have been living here for much of my adult life. I have seen a lot of changes in Hungary over the past couple of decades.

The violent incident I described happened in broad daylight yes. Even though I was hospitalized from it. Although the police were called I can only describe their response as comic and totally unsupportive. They did not even take a description from me of what happened.

I do not wish to dwell on the negative and of course the other poster from Hungary is correct. Everyone should see and decide for themselves. I know my experience is not shared by Hungarians.

But you should know that a radical new party has just entered the Hungarian Parliament in these weeks with about 15% of the popular vote. They ran on a platform that included a public statement that Israel and the United States are enemies of Hungary. One of their candidates for European Parliament was the secretary-general of a Hungarian police trade union and she wrote in her newsletter, while she was running for this office and in order to increase her popularity: Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews. If you do a google search for Hungary and anti-semitism you will get over 200,000 replies.

Sadly based on my own personal experience I can only advise that this and other growing violent and stressful aspects of Hungarian life must factor into anyone's decision to relocate here in this time. Of course this is only one man's experience but I do feel it is important enough to want to share it here.

Thanks for this respectful and helpful forum. If there are any further questions or the wish for further discussion I'm happy to try to address it.

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.

Thanks a.c.

I do feel this is a valuable forum and of course each person needs to make up their own mind based on various considerations and experience.


All best

Blaine

Thank you for sharing your experiences guys. I will take your information into consideration. My intention for going to Hungary is just medical education and nothing else. The prime reason for choosing this country is that we(the norwegians) can do the first year in Norway.then, after the first year, we start the second year in pecs, Hungary. there are also possibilities of doing the 6th year in Norway, if we transfer to budapest.

Blaine, are you a student?(sorry if I have asked that question before)
Do you think there is a way to avoid unprovoked racist violence?

Thanks again

Peace!

I've lived in Hungary(Budapest) for 6 month and studied with people from different origins and non of us have ever experienced any sort of racism. Many of my friends are Norwegians and they love it here. The older generation would get impatient with our lack of Hungarian but no racism intended, and they love it when we speak in Hungarian hahaha. Good luck with your choice, i think Hungary is amazing.