The Foreign Ministry in Hungary
said Friday that its nominee as ambassador to Rome has withdrawn
over allegations of extreme anti-Semitism, including calling
Jews "agents of Satan".
Peter Szabo Szentmihalyi was denounced earlier this week by
the United States-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which
accuses him of making extremist statements.
He had been scheduled to take up the post as Hungary's
ambassador to Rome.
The ADL had issued a statement urging Italy to prevent "a
well-known anti-Semite" from taking a diplomatic post in Italy.
The League said that Szentmihalyi had "a long history of
anti-Semitic publications, in which he describes the Hungarian
Jews as agents in the service of Satan".
The World Jewish Congress also said that the Hungarian had
written anti-Semitic texts.
Italy's foreign ministry said Friday that it had not
received any formal request from the League.
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