An alarming upsurge of racist violence has victimized many members of the country’s Roma population, estimated between 400,000 and 600,000 people. Violence is not a new manifestation of anti-Roma prejudice, yet there has been a particularly sharp rise in serious—sometimes deadly—violent attacks since 2008, inflaming social tensions and weakening the sense of protection from discrimination for minorities across the country.

Human Rights First works to ensure that the Hungarian government treats hate crime as a policy priority. We believe that combating such crime is a crucial step to a more conducive environment to address other obstacles to equal rights and opportunities for all in Hungary.