Physically assaulting someone or attacking an institution over a stated opinion is incompatible with European culture, Janos Csak, the minister of culture and innovation, said in Berlin’s Collegium Hungaricum on Friday, in connection with a recent vandal attack on the Hungarian cultural centre in which the building’s windows were smashed.
The building was also spray-painted in the Jan 26 attack, he told public media, adding that an Antifa group had claimed responsibility for the vandalism. Details of the case were reported by news portal mandiner.hu, which quoted the group as saying that their actions had come in response to the criminal trial of those allegedly involved in organised armed attacks in Budapest last February.
The minister said security around the Hungarian cultural institute had been bolstered.
He noted that the institute, which celebrates its centenary this year, on Thursday opened an exhibition of the post-digital works of contemporary young Hungarian artists.
Meanwhile, Csak said that he had held talks with Claudia Roth, Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, during his visit to Berlin, discussing the priorities of Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency, the demographic situation, sustainability and the importance of preserving the natural environment.
The talks also touched on the fact that Hungary, too, will soon introduce a cultural passport meant to aid young people’s access to culture. The passport’s introduction has been a success in Italy, France, Germany and Denmark, Csak said.
