But without the German occupation of March 1944 there would not have been deportations, he added. Orbán wrote a letter published by the news portal origo.hu on Tuesday in response to comments made by a member of the Hungarian Arts Academy.

“To set up a memorial to hundreds of thousands of innocent victims is not only the right thing to do but a moral obligation,” Orbán said in his four-page reply. He said that in his opinion it was not Nazis but Germans who had occupied Hungary, and the symbol of the Eagle of the German Empire depicted in the statue was not a matter of any concern.

Several civil groups and parties of the leftist opposition have sharply criticised the plans for the monument, insisting the government was aiming to diminish the Hungarian state’s responsibility for the Holocaust.

Protesters have removed the fence around the construction site set up on Szabadság Square several times since April 8, when the foundations were laid. On Tuesday evening police removed demonstrators from the site.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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