A Budapest pro-Palestinian protest planned for Friday has triggered growing opposition after Hungarian police said they found no legal grounds to prohibit the gathering. The demonstration is intended to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and with Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the detained former director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, whom Israeli authorities accuse of having links to Hamas.

The Community of Palestinians Living in Hungary announced the event. Its appeal calls on participants to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and Abu Safiya and encourages them to bring Palestinian flags, keffiyehs, photographs and posters.

Police find no grounds to ban Budapest pro-Palestinian protest

The Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) confirmed that a private individual had notified the authorities of a gathering falling under Hungary’s law on freedom of assembly.

“After examining the notification, the BRFK, acting as the assembly authority, took note of the gathering in the absence of grounds for prohibition,” police told Hungarian weekly Hetek.

The wording is significant: rather than formally “authorising” the protest, the police concluded that the legal conditions for banning it had not been met.

The decision has nevertheless prompted criticism because of the demonstration’s support for Abu Safiya and other Palestinian detainees.

Jewish organisation asks authorities to intervene

Before the police decision became public, Hungary’s Action and Protection Foundation, which monitors antisemitism and works to protect Jewish communities, had asked the Interior Ministry to examine whether the legal conditions existed to prohibit the gathering.

According to TEV, its president, Kálmán Szalai, also asked the authorities to assess possible public-security risks, potential threats to the dignity and safety of Hungary’s Jewish community and, if a ban was not legally possible, whether increased police security or restrictions should be imposed.

The organisation highlighted Israeli allegations concerning Abu Safiya, including claims that he held the rank of colonel within Hamas and that Kamal Adwan Hospital was used for Hamas activities.

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Mazsihisz also condemns planned rally

The Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz), Hungary’s largest Jewish religious organisation, has also strongly criticised the planned demonstration.

In a statement published on Tuesday, Mazsihisz said it was deeply concerned about the rally, arguing that what was being presented as solidarity with the Palestinian people was in fact support for Hamas, Abu Safiya and terrorism. The organisation stressed that this was its assessment of the event and called on the Hungarian authorities to take action within the framework of the law.

Mazsihisz said that the open or indirect promotion of terrorism and terrorists should not be protected under freedom of expression or the right of assembly. It also argued that such events could undermine the sense of security of Hungary’s Jewish community and social peace.

The federation called on the authorities to review current practice surrounding such demonstrations and to take all necessary legal and security measures to protect the Jewish community. It also urged the government to ensure that its declared policy of zero tolerance towards antisemitism is reflected in practice.

Israeli ambassador: ‘No place’ for demonstrations supporting terrorism

Israel’s ambassador to Hungary, Maya Kadosh, has also spoken out against the planned demonstration.

In a video message published on Facebook, Kadosh said demonstrations supporting terrorism had no place in Hungary. She argued that the Hungarian public should know the allegations against Abu Safiya before he is presented as a martyr or solely as a detained doctor.

“The white coat does not erase membership in a terrorist organisation,” Kadosh said.

Who is Hussam Abu Safiya?

Abu Safiya is a Palestinian paediatrician who directed Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Israeli forces detained him in December 2024.

Israeli authorities and the Israel Defense Forces accuse him of involvement with Hamas. The Jerusalem Post reported in February that research based on Arabic-language sources and social-media posts identified Abu Safiya as a colonel, while the IDF also described him as a ranking Hamas member.

However, his status remains heavily disputed internationally. Abu Safiya has been held without formal charges, and Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal for his release in June 2026 based partly on confidential material not made public, Reuters reported. Hamas and Gaza health authorities have denied the Israeli allegations, while international human-rights organisations have called for his release.

Amnesty International described his detention as arbitrary in July and expressed serious concerns about his health and alleged treatment in custody. Israel’s prison authorities have denied allegations of mistreatment.

The solidarity demonstration will go ahead

The competing accounts surrounding Abu Safiya are therefore central to the controversy over Friday’s Budapest pro-Palestinian protest. For its organisers, the event is a solidarity action for Palestinian detainees; for its critics, including TEV and Israel’s ambassador, publicly rallying behind Abu Safiya risks legitimising a figure whom Israel considers a senior member of Hamas.

Unless the authorities reverse their position or new legal circumstances emerge, the demonstration is expected to go ahead in central Budapest on Friday afternoon.

The demonstration is scheduled for 21 August at 2 pm on Vámház körút in central Budapest, opposite the Central Market Hall, according to the Magyarországon Élő Palesztinok Közössége (Community of Palestinians Living in Hungary).

If the solidarity demonstration does indeed go ahead, it is likely that there will also be counter-demonstrators in the square, which will present a serious challenge for the Hungarian authorities.

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