Benjamin:
Erik Selymes was executive director of the Hungarian Red Cross. He was battling cancer for at least two years and I had anticipated his passing away much sooner, given the condition I saw him in a year earlier.
One of his last act was to authorize the evacuation of the Roma women and children from a village that brought international publicity and condemnation on the Hungarian government, very much deserved in general but out of place that day since a couple of hundred police showed up within an hour of the evacuation to maintain the peace and arrest the neo-nazis who were intimidating the populace.
This could not be foreseen by Richard or Erik….or the evacuation foreseen by Victor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister and then president of the EU board of directors…or whatever.
Erik was forced into retirement which he should have done earlier anyway.
Richard became ‘persona non grata.’
A giant step was taken towards redressing the neo-Nazis movement and in directing EU and international attention on how the Hungarian government was disregarding EU policies and values.
It is particular fitting on this July 4th that I point out that war has casualties. It is far more tragic when the wars are stupid. In this case whatever price Erik and Richard have had pay are tiny in respect to the good that they caused.
In one afternoon an act of political activism by Erik and Richard accomplished what a typical congressman might not achieve in a lifetime.
May Erik’s memory be for a blessing.
Dad
Robert:
As a direct result of the Good Friday evacuation the government rushed legislation through parliament making it a crime for uniformed groups or individuals to intimidate any of Hungary’s national, religious or ethnic minorities, thus effectively putting an end to all anti-Roma paramilitary activities.
Richard
