Jai Bhim Network

Get the Flash Player to see this player. (1 day later: Police chief restored to post.)

The police chief of Miskolc in eastern Hungary crossed a line that no representative of the state should and his replacement was a moral decision, Justice Minister Tibor Draskovics told public television on Saturday.

The police chief Albert Pasztor said on Friday that all the burglaries in the city of Miskolc in December and January were committed by people of Gypsy origin.

Draskovics said that the police chief had made an inexplicable distinction between Hungarian and Gypsy criminals, which is unacceptable from any representative of the state, especially a policeman. Draskovics said he was sorry for having to transfer Pasztor to another post adding that he had ordered an investigation into the case.

The local council group of the opposition Fidesz-KDNP called on Draskovics to withdraw the replacement decision and said the police chief had done high quality work that was equally recognised by professionals and the public.

Pasztor told MTI on Saturday that he rejected being called a racist.

Miskolc Mayor Sandor Kali, of the governing Socialist party, said he did not agree with Pasztor’s replacement and added that he had full confidence in the police chief. He said he had asked for a meeting on Monday with the justice minister which would also be attended by heads of the National Police Headquarters and the Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen County police.

Kali said a peaceful demonstration, in which he would take part, is planned in Miskolc for Sunday to express support for Pasztor.

“The whole Roma issue is not a specific Miskolc issue but has become a question of fate for northeast and southeast Hungary,” Kali said. Pasztor simply announced facts and figures and instead of replacing him he needs to be supported, Kali said.

The Roma minority is Hungary’s largest ethnic minority with their numbers estimated between 800,000 and 1 million.

Source: The Budapest Time

The police chief of Miskolc in eastern Hungary has been restored to his post with the approval of Justice Minister Tibor Draskovics, the national police chief told MTI on Sunday.

Draskovics moved the Miskolc police chief Albert Pasztor from his post on Saturday as a result of a statement he had made the day before. Pasztor said on Friday that all the burglaries in the city of Miskolc in December and January had been committed by people of Gypsy origin.

National police chief Jozsef Bencze told MTI that an investigation carried out on Saturday showed that Pasztor’s statement did not violate personal rights, nor was it objectionable from the point of data protection. Bencze said he proposed on Saturday that Pasztor’s transfer from his post should be annulled and the minister approved this on Sunday.

At the same time, the investigation revealed that Pasztor’s statement could be misinterpreted and serve as an excuse for generalisation, therefore he received a warning and was told to avoid making such statements in the future, Bencze said.

The justice minister told Hungarian television on Saturday that the police chief had made an inexplicable distinction between Hungarian and Gypsy criminals, which is unacceptable from any representative of the state, especially a policeman.

Pasztor’s suspension raised objections by local politicians including the Mayor of Miskolc who said Pasztor simply announced facts and figures and instead of replacing him he needs to be supported.

On Sunday afternoon, around 1,500 people gathered in central Miskolc for a planned peaceful demonstration in support of Pasztor. Many of the demonstrators were wearing the uniform of Magyar Garda, the paramilitary wing of the radical nationalist Jobbik party, MTI correspondent reported. Police cordoned off the area and stopped tram traffic on the square.

Source: The Budapest Time

All criminals of all crimes are Gypsies!

(The police chief Albert Pasztor)

Coexistence with our fellow citizens from the ethnic minority doesn’t work.

(The police chief Albert Pasztor)