The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is releasing a resource on Hungarian far-right and openly anti-Semitic group Jobbik following its recent success in a special parliamentary election. Jobbik is now the third most powerful political party in Hungary. 

Jobbik describes itself as a “principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party” whose “fundamental purpose” is the protection of “Hungarian values and interests.” Its ideology combines militant ethno-nationalism with anti-Semitism and anti-Roma racism. A Hungarian court ruled in January 2014 that Jobbik may be referred to as “neo-Nazi” in Hungary.

In 2012, Jobbik member of Parliament Márton Gyöngyösi suggested Hungarian Jews were a national security threat, stating:  “I know how many people with Hungarian ancestry live in Israel, and how many Israeli Jews live in Hungary. I think such a conflict makes it timely to tally up people of Jewish ancestry who live here, especially in the Hungarian Parliament and the Hungarian government, who, indeed, pose a national security risk to Hungary.”

Leaders of Jobbik have praised both Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Iran and reports have suggested that the group has received financing from both countries.

Originally established in 2002 as the Right-Wing Youth Association by a group of nationalist Catholic and Protestant university students, Jobbik became a political party in October 2003. Dávid Kovács was named its president.

In 2011, Jobbik began gaining political power at the local level and had some of its policy positions adopted by right-wing populist ruling party Fidesz. In the 2014 EU elections, Jobbik received 14.7 percent of the vote. In the April, 2014 Hungarian parliamentary elections the party received more than 1 million votes, or 20.54 percent, making it Hungary's third largest party in the National Assembly.

Learn more about the history, ideology and leadership of Jobbik and other extremist groups at counterextremism.com.