Hungary's Orbán says Budapest is Europe’s safest city for Jews as antisemitism surges

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said this week that Jewish communities are safer successful Budapest than anyplace other successful Europe, arsenic information from the Anti-Defamation League constituent to a crisp emergence successful antisemitic incidents crossed the continent.

"Jewish communities are safer successful Budapest than anyplace other successful Europe. Zero tolerance for antisemitism, nary hatred crimes, nary convulsive migrants," Orbán wrote successful a station connected X. "This is however a modern European superior ought to be."

Orbán’s assertion was publically backed by Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who wrote connected X that "Budapest is 1 of the safest and astir welcoming European capitals for its Jewish assemblage and for Israeli citizens alike."

ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU DEMANDS WESTERN GOVERNMENTS ACT TO BATTLE ANTISEMITISM: 'HEED OUR WARNINGS'

Chikli cited what helium described arsenic a caller determination by the Swiss metropolis of Basel not to big a Zionist Youth Congress of astir 200 Jewish youths, adding that Hungary agreed to big the lawsuit and that a elder Hungarian curate delivered a speech.

Chikli said Hungary’s attack stems from "a liable migration argumentation that recognizes the information posed by extremist Islam" and "an uncompromising authorities argumentation against antisemitism."

Orbán’s remarks travel amid an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) study that stated antisemitism successful Europe is escalating astatine an alarming pace. In a 2024–2025 investigation titled Take Action: Antisemitism Is Escalating successful Europe, the ADL reported a surge successful antisemitic harassment, vandalism, threats and carnal attacks crossed aggregate European countries, peculiarly pursuing the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas onslaught connected Israel and the warfare successful Gaza.

ISIS, IRAN ESCALATING GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST JEWS, ISRAEL SPY CHIEF SAYS

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (L) receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu connected April 3, 2025 successful Budapest, Hungary. ( Janos Kummer/Getty Images)

According to the ADL, incidents roseate sharply successful countries including France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Jewish communities reported accrued information threats, portion galore Jews said they felt unsafe wearing disposable spiritual symbols successful public. The ADL warned that Jewish institutions crossed Europe present necessitate heightened information and that antisemitism is becoming progressively normalized successful nationalist discourse.

Hungary is location to the largest Jewish assemblage successful Central Europe, with estimates ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 Jews, astir of them surviving successful Budapest.

GUILTY VERDICTS IN ISIS PLOT POLICE SAY COULD HAVE BEEN 'THE DEADLIEST TERRORIST ATTACK IN UK HISTORY'

Jewish leaders successful Hungary person offered mixed assessments implicit the years. Some person praised the authorities for investing successful synagogue restoration, Holocaust memorials and Jewish taste life, arsenic good arsenic for maintaining adjacent diplomatic ties with Israel. Others person expressed interest astir nationalist rhetoric and disputes implicit humanities memory, peculiarly regarding Hungary’s relation successful the Holocaust.

Before World War II, Hungary had 1 of Europe’s largest Jewish populations, estimated astatine astir 825,000 people. Following the German concern successful March 1944, Hungarian and Nazi authorities deported astir 430,000–440,000 Jews to Auschwitz successful a substance of weeks, astir of whom were murdered connected arrival. Overall, historians estimation that astir 564,000 Hungarian Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Visitors look astatine pictures of Jews killed successful the Holocaust successful the Hall of Names successful the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial successful Jerusalem, Sunday, April 7, 2013. The yearly Israeli memorial time for the 6 cardinal Jews killed successful the Holocaust of World War II begins astatine sundown Sunday. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) (AP2013)

Orbán’s authorities has repeatedly rejected accusations of antisemitism astatine home, pointing to its adjacent narration with Israel and its nationalist absorption to antisemitic violence. Hungarian officials often opposition Budapest with large Western European cities wherever Jewish institutions present necessitate dense constabulary extortion and wherever protests linked to the Gaza warfare person astatine times turned violent.

According to the ADL, antisemitic narratives person present dispersed crossed Europe's governmental spectrum and online platforms, contributing to a clime of fearfulness adjacent successful countries erstwhile considered harmless for Jewish life.