Skinhead attack in Veszprém, Hungary

15 July 1997

At approximately 2:30 in the after noon on February 7, 1997, 15 year-old Romani youth named László Herczeg was allegedly attacked by skinheads while queuing at a bus-stop at the central bus station in Veszprém, western Hungary. An individual skinhead, who was standing with a group of skinheads, allegedly approached Mr. Herczeg while shouting that he was a "dirty Gypsy," and dragged him from the queue. Several people who were also waiting for the bus intervened, and Herczeg escaped with minor injuries.

Following the appearance of an article on the incident in the local press, the mother of the victim hired a lawyer and filed an official compliant against the perpetrator, who is known as a local skinhead leader. Following this, Mrs. Herczeg told the ERRC that she received a threatening phone call from an unknown male who told her that if she took the case to court, she and her son would suffer unspecified consequences.

According to Mrs. Herczeg and László Herczeg, during the week following the filing of the complaint, László Herczeg was questioned by different policemen every day. As of July 16, however, no legal proceedings had been undertaken and the family had not been informed of the results of the investigation. According to a local journalist, there are many skinheads in Veszprém. (ERRC)