"Political Santas" visit public personalities

Right-wing groups dressed as Santa Clauses distributed golden or black birch rods to politicians deemed by them to be good or bad yesterday, as December 6 is the day on which Santa Claus - Szent Miklós in Hungarian - traditionally brings presents to good children. Santas decorated with the Árpád stripes associated with Hungary's fascist era, as well as Roma Santas, little devils and Santas climbing fire-fighters ladders appeared in the streets of Budapest.

A "Santa Claus commando unit" assembled in Kossuth tér under Hungarian flags and the "Árpád flag" before visiting public personalities to distribute the bundles of birch rods that Miklós gives to children who have been bad. The "Insurgent Santas" gave golden birch-rods to "good children," such as President László Sólyom and Fidesz leader Viktor Orbán, and black birch rods to Democratic Forum leader Ibolya Dávid, Speaker Katalin Szili and Socialist caucus leader Ildikó Lendvai. They accosted 13 public personalities in total.

The "political Santas" also sent birch-rods to judicial, prison, local government and police leaders.

The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.

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