Once again, protesters gathered in Budapest on Tuesday at the call of independent MP Ákos Hadházy, demanding the withdrawal of the amendment to the assembly law.
At the demonstration held at Ferenciek Square, Hadházy emphasized that those present were people who want to live in a free country and are willing to act to achieve it.
“There is no power that cannot be pressured — results can be achieved against any authority,” said the politician.
He argued that the amendment to the assembly law was not about Pride, but rather about banning future protests against election fraud and the detention of opposition politicians.
He stated that the protests would only be truly successful if the law were already repealed. He added that he would be satisfied with the number of demonstrators only if thousands participated, but he acknowledged that there have already been larger turnouts and he believes more will come, noting that another protest is planned for next week.
The fact that the turnout is still limited, according to Hadházy, shows that “great experts and politicians” have convinced most people that it’s impossible to achieve results or exert pressure against this government to repeal an unacceptable law.
Hadházy also pointed out that the government did not expect thousands to repeatedly show up, highlighting that at one point, 10,000 people demonstrated on the Erzsébet Bridge.
“I can’t say for sure that we will achieve the desired outcome, but we will do everything we can to get there,” he stressed.
He also criticized the government for planning to pay 80 billion forints for properties of the research network which, according to academics, are worth 130 billion forints. He claimed the government is blackmailing the academics, threatening not to raise their salaries if they continue or win the lawsuit regarding the properties.
At the end of the protest, he called on the demonstrators to march to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) building in solidarity with the academics.
Participants crossed the Erzsébet Bridge to Buda, then returned via the Chain Bridge to Pest, gathering in front of the MTA headquarters, where the protest ended around 7:30 p.m.
The Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) stated on police.hu that around 6:00 p.m., some participants unlawfully stepped onto the roadway of the Erzsébet Bridge, blocking traffic for about 20 minutes.
(MTI)
