Rights group says discrimination rising in Hungary

Source: Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Europe's leading human rights organization said Tuesday that discrimination against Gypsies, Jews, gays and other minorities in Hungary is getting worse and is urging authorities to fight racist violence and take other steps to protect the vulnerable.

The Council of Europe made its recommendations in a report that examines a wide range of human rights issues in the country. Its release comes as studies claim poverty is increasing in the country and as Prime Minister Viktor Orban faces accusations from many fronts of weakening democratic standards.

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"The Commissioner is deeply concerned at the widespread presence of racist and extremist organizations and movements in Hungary and extremism in the country's political arena," it says.

While it praises Orban's government for announcing a "zero tolerance" policy toward anti-Semitism in 2013, it also says that authorities "sometimes fail to deal with anti-Semitic incidents in a diligent manner."

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