Heeb

The ex-Eastern Bloc is a sort of a bizarro universe. It hasn’t quite lost that lovin’ Soviet feeling, but it has adapted in significant ways to the Western world. Every once in a while, though, there’s a nice little flashback to the dark ages.

Last April in Budapest, a woman walked up to a ticket venue in a traditionally Jewish neighborhood and asked about Hungarica, an obscure extremist far-right band. The agents called her a fascist and kicked her out. After word about the incident leaked and a Molotov cocktail exploded just outside the office, neo-Nazis began rallying. Then came the anti-fascist brigade, 3,000 strong, among them the Hungarian prime minister and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (remember him?). Cue the slow simmering of pent-up feelings towards the Eastern European Jewish community….

While the dust settles, check out the incendiary band that started it all. You can find Hungarica’s website here or a video of one of their songs—think Creed, if you replace the Jesus crap with majestic horsies.