A Budapest court has disbanded the right-wing Magyar Garda (Hungarian Guard) association, widely seen as the 21st-century heir of the Nazi-era Arrow Cross.
The verdict issued at the end of the five-day proceedings effectively disqualified the association from organising public demonstrations due to concerns over its right-wing ideology and threatening behaviour, which principally targeted Jews and Gypsies.
The Alliance of Hungarian Jewish Religious Communities (Mazsihisz)welcomed the ruling and described the trial as a successful test of Hungarian democracy.
The formation of the Guard in August 2007 provoked severe criticism from all major Hungarian parliamentary forces and expressions of deep concern from Jewish groups.
