"Since there are no migrants, and someone has to clean the bathrooms on the InterCity trains, Lazar said Roma people would do the job, using an offensive slur in his speech. The remarks, captured on video, quickly spread online and triggered a widespread backlash. Hungarian Roma organisations, NGOs and opposition politicians demanded that Lazar, a high-ranking ally of the rightwing populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, apologise and resign. He has crossed all boundaries, said Peter Magyar, the leader of the largest opposition party, Tisza."
"The scandal comes 10 weeks before an election that could cement or break the rule of Orban's Fidesz party, which came to power for the second time in 2010. Fidesz is over, its mandate has expired permanently, said Adam Lakatos, an 18-year-old Roma activist and the organiser of Saturday's protest. Independent polls show a stable lead for Tisza a centre-right party founded in 2020 ahead of Fidesz. Outrage over Lazar's racist remarks could further alienate undecided voters from the governing party."
Thousands are set to gather in Budapest to demand the resignation of Janos Lazar after he said migration was not the solution to labour shortages and suggested Roma people should clean InterCity train bathrooms using an offensive slur. The remarks were captured on video, spread online, and provoked backlash from Roma organisations, NGOs and opposition politicians demanding apology and resignation. Opposition leader Peter Magyar condemned the comments and activist Adam Lakatos declared Fidesz’s mandate expired. Independent polls show Tisza leading ahead of Fidesz as the scandal unfolds ten weeks before a pivotal election. Roma communities face worse living conditions, poverty, lower life expectancy, and overrepresentation in low-paying public jobs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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