The vandals removed the marble cover from the tomb, located in Budapest's Fiumei Street Cemetery, some time between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, police spokesman Endre Kormos said. An investigation is underway.
MTI's correspondent at the scene reported seeing the words "No murderer and traitor should rest in sacred soil" painted on a wall of a socialist monument near the grave. The words are from the lyrics to a song by Kárpátia, a Hungarian band whose music is intensely nationalistic.
Police are investigating to determine if there is any link between the desecration of Kádár's grave and the painted words.
The desecration of the grave has been condemned by the prime minister and all of Hungary's parliamentary parties.
The Hungarian Communist Workers Party, which does not have any seats in Parliament, has issued a call for all of the country's political parties to see that those responsible for the desecration are brought to justice.
Kádár become Hungary's leader after the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution and remained in power for 30 years. He died on July 6, 1989, on the same day that Hungary's Supreme Court nullified the court ruling sentencing Kádár's predecessor, Imre Nagy, to death for treason.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
