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Close ally of Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán launches bizarre rant at Board of Deputies after meeting

Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky tells Board President to 'mind your own business' after she raises concern about Mr Orbán's rhetoric

February 13, 2019 11:11
Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky
3 min read

A senior Hungarian official has launched a bizarre rant about Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl, insisting his Government is not antisemitic after she raised “profound disquiet” about its language.

Mrs van der Zyl met Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky - a diplomat and close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán - last week and discussed Mr Orbán's use of antisemitic tropes in his attacks on George Soros.

But after the Board issued a brief press release summarising the meeting, Mr Szalay-Bobrovniczky emailed Mrs van der Zyl, saying he felt "extremely sorry for the Jews that you pretend to represent", claiming her accusations of antisemitism were "a simple lie" and telling her to "mind your own business".