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Hungarian Sequencing Company Vets DNA For 'Gypsy Or Jew' Genes

Posted by timothy on from the borat-plus-hitler-plus-gattica dept.

ananyo writes "Hungary's Medical Research Council (ETT), which advises the government on health policy, has asked public prosecutors to investigate a genetic-diagnostic company that certified that a member of parliament did not have Roma or Jewish heritage. The MP in question is a member of the far-right Jobbik party, which won 17% of the votes in the general election of April 2010. He apparently requested the certificate from the firm Nagy Gén Diagnostic and Research. The company produced the document in September 2010, a few weeks before local elections. Nagy Gén scanned 18 positions in the MP's genome for variants that it says are characteristic of Roma and Jewish ethnic groups; its report concludes that Roma and Jewish ancestry can be ruled out." Adds ananyo: "The test is of-course nonsense, and notions of 'racial purity' have long been discredited." Just when you think the world is too modern for such things, modernity gets hijacked by flim-flam.

5 of 467 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe not Gypsy or Jew... by turkeyfeathers · · Score: 5, Funny

    But did they scan him for the vampire gene?

  2. Hard to know what to think of this... by multicoregeneral · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why would it even matter? Unless you're some kind of right wing, neo nazi freak - oh, wait... never mind.

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    1. Re:Hard to know what to think of this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      +3 Informative? Because you can't be on the right without hating Jews and Roma people I guess...

      I don't think Jobbik has exactly been coy about it's platform with regards to this: they DO hate Jews and Roma. Take your thinly-veiled Godwin's law reference and stuff it up your Nazi ass.

    2. Re:Hard to know what to think of this... by fiannaFailMan · · Score: 2, Funny

      European right:

      Free trade
      Less government regulation (liberalized economy)
      Law and order
      Controls on immigration and measures to make immigrants conform to local customs

      European left:

      Statutory protections for workers
      Individual rights
      Tolerance for immigrants and respect for diversity

      American right:

      Homophobic, xenophobic, scientifically illiterate, market fundamentalist, religious fundamentalist nutjobs who worship at the altar of Ronald Reagan even though he'd be run out of the modern GOP as the 'most radical socialist president everrr!'

      American left:

      Anything to the left of Genghis Khan

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  3. Re:As a hungarian by octothorpe99 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I feel like throwing in the towel and getting the hell out of this country.

    Don't do that! You'll need your towel if you're going to travel!