Hungary And the Czech Republic: Ethnic Fault Lines

The collapse of communism was supposed to usher in an era of peace and democracy, right? Unfortunately, across eastern Europe it seems that ethnic divisions are leading to a return to some very bad old days and ways. Once again haters (this time in the form of skinheads) and extreme nationalists are attacking Jews because they "own everything" and gypsies because they "cause crime." These groups are looking to America for a model but not in ways we might like. Skinheads give stiff-armed salutes to a confederate flag, youths prance in front of "KKK" graffiti, and one Hungarian hater suggests that gypsies be forced onto reservations "just like Americans did with the Indians." Hungary and the Czech Republic: Ethnic Fault Lines, an episode in the PBS-aired Rights & Wrongs series, consists of video "letters" from Hungary and the Czech Republic, bookending an interview with George Soros, a financier and philanthropist who has observed these movements firsthand. Soros notes the danger that hate groups will pave the way for "nationalist dictatorships," and he emphasizes the importance of a free media in exposing the prejudice growing along the ethnic fault lines. This is an up to date video which provides a look at a too little known problem, but finally it raises more questions than it answers. The documentary's brevity combined with a steep purchase price makes this appropriate only for think tanks and university libraries. [Note: Human Rights and the Media, another title in the series which focuses on Hungary, is also available at the same price.] (S. Rees)