Protesters block statue unveiling of anti-Semitic official

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Protesters have prevented the official unveiling of a statue commemorating a Holocaust-era, anti-Semitic Hungarian politician.

The bust of Gyorgy Donath was to be unveiled in Budapest Wednesday by former Prime Minister Peter Boross and other officials, but a crowd of some 300 protesters surrounded the memorial and blocked the ceremony from taking place.

Despite the canceled unveiling, which was also attended by around 100 Donath supporters, the life-size bust remained in place some 2 meters (6.5 feet) above street level on a corner just a block away from the Holocaust Memorial Center.

Hungarian Jewish groups said Donath's racist views made him unworthy of a statue even though he was executed by the communists in 1947 after a show trial on false charges.