Győző Istóczy (7 November 1842, Szentkereszt – 9 January 1915,

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

) was a nationalist Hungarian politician and lawyer in the second half of the 19th century. His

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

views were flagrant during his political career.

Political career

He was born in Szentkereszt (today: ''Táplánszentkereszt'', Vas County) on 7 November 1842. He finished his secondary studies in

Szombathely Szombathely (; german: Steinamanger, ; see also other alternative names) is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria. Szombathely lies by t ...

. He graduated from the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

and

University of Budapest A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. After graduating Law he became deputy recorder of the county. He was appointed judge of the County Court in 1868. He became a member of the

Diet of Hungary The Diet of Hungary or originally: Parlamentum Publicum / Parlamentum Generale ( hu, Országgyűlés) became the supreme legislative institution in the medieval kingdom of Hungary from the 1290s, and in its successor states, Royal Hungary and ...

in 1872 as a member of the Deák Party and represented Rum District until 1892. After the merger of the Deák Party and the Centre Left in 1875, he joined the newly formed Liberal Party. However, he left the group soon and became a non-partisan MP. In 1880 he founded the Alliance of Non-Jews and edited the

anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

journal ''Tizenkét röpirat'' ("Twelve pamphlets"). During the Tiszaeszlár blood libel (murder of the girl Eszter Solymosi) in 1882, Géza Ónody, the representative of

Tiszaeszlár Tiszaeszlár (Old form: ''Tisza-Eszlár'') is a village in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Hungary. In 1882 the village was the centre of blood libel accusations against its Jewish community. They were accused of murdering and beheading a young gir ...

in the Hungarian Parliament, and Istóczy proposed the expulsion of the

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

in the House of Representatives, and excited the public against the local Jews, resulting in a number of violent acts and pogroms. Despite the victim Eszter Solymosi having probably been a victim of a sexual aggression (

pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...

), they spread the charge that the Jews killed the girl in order to use her blood at the approaching

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

(April 4). After the trial Istóczy founded the National Antisemitic Party based on the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Christian Social Party. They gained 17 mandates in the 1884 elections. His party split up in 1885 but they still entered the legislature during the 1887 elections. Soon after the National Antisemitic Party finally collapsed. After 1892 he retired from politics. Istóczy became a model for the subsequent far right parties and movements.

References

Magyar Életrajzi lexikon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Istoczy, Gyozo 1842 births 1915 deaths Antisemitism in Hungary 19th-century Hungarian lawyers Hungarian politicians