The left-wing pundit and historian gave an interview to Klub Rádió, and according to pictures posted by the Radio’s Facebook page, he wore a keffiyeh, a traditional symbol of Palestinian solidarity – Neokohn reports.(1)
His wear brought a number of angry comments from the Hungarian Jewish community.
Konok did not deny on his Facebook page that he was a supporter of the anti-Israel cause.
Neokohn has also dug up a number of anti-Israel or seemingly anti-Jewish comments from Konok’s past.
In 2018 he wrote on his Facebook page:
“Today I banned a fascist, who cursed Arabs, then a so-called democrat, who attacked székely (indigenous Hungarians in Romania). Then I banned an anti-Semite, who cursed Jews, then a Zionist, who said that my parents deported his grandparents. Then I banned two Nazis (…)”.
Hungarian-Jewish philosopher and university professor György Gábor reacted to Konok’s 2018 post as follows:
“Did I read it right? The popular historian is comparing Zionists for fascist, people attacking székelys, anti-Semites and Nazis?”
Earlier this year Konok participated in the online talk show Kötöttfogás, where he had the following exchange about Covid-19 with pundit Sándor Csintalan:
Konok: “Aside from some intellectuals from downtown Pest (codeword for Jews – Ed.), who are actually sitting home and sterilising their dogs, ordering food and doing yoga, baking bread and finding themselves…”
Csintalan: “Are you attacking Jews? (zsidózol)”
Konok: “How am I attacking Jews?”
Csintalan: “Well the downtown Pest intellectuals in Hungarian political thinking today (…) mean Jews”.
Konok: “Downtown Pest intellectuals and downtown Pest intellectuals, I know people like this. I don’t know if they are Jews or not. No, I am not attacking Jews. I am attacking downtown Pest intellectuals, I have had enough of them”.
All quotes here are from Neokohn’s report.
Sources:
(1) https://neokohn.hu/2021/03/15/palesztin-salban-adott-interjut-konok-peter/
Pictured is Péter Konok on the right, wearing a keffiyeh. Source: Facebook