Last month we reported the sad fate of the boy pianist, thrown out by Canada to face racial hostility in his native Hungary.
Now, we’ve been alerted to the more celebrated case of Robi Botos.
Robi is one of the world’s leading under-30 jazz pianists, a winner of the Montreux competition and more. Oscar Peterson was an admirer of his. When Oscar’s bass player, Dave Young, needs a pianist, he calls Robi. To top it all, Robi is as good a drummer as he is a pianist.
Robi and his brother were victims of horrible persecution in Hungary. Their father, brother and cousin remain in Hungary. Robi has started a petition to gain them refugee status.
You can find the petition here: https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/the-canadian-ministry-of-immigration-and-citizenship-to-accept-lajos-sr-and-jr-and-jozsef-botos-as-convention-refugees. Do what needs to be done.
“Nephew and first cousin Jozsef also arrived in November 2011. Lajos (Jr) and his wife have four children and a fifth is expected. Jozsef and his wife have one child.”
Under what visa were they allowed in?