Autumn will be “tough” in Hungarian domestic politics, independent lawmaker Ákos Hadházy said in Budapest on Tuesday, at a demonstration demanding the withdrawal of amendments to the law on the freedom of assembly, and against the adoption of the law on the transparency of public life.

Hadházy expects further tough measures

Hadházy said he expected that “those in power” would not issue “further tough measures” until the elections next April, unless “their numbers are also showing that they are in trouble.”

He said “it should be taken seriously that they tried to squeeze me off the road” in Hatvanpuszta, in central Hungary. The transparency law is also still on parliament’s agenda, he added.

Another huge protest in Budapest's downtown
Photo: MTI

Demonstrators have been successful, “they proved wrong those who think Hungarians are unwilling to demonstrate for their freedom. They showed what the Pride was really about, that banning it was an infringement on the right to assembly as well as harming the rights of our gay compatriots. They also made sure that the spring cleaning announced by the prime minister did not happen, and that those in power have lost a little confidence,” he said.

He pledged to continue the demonstrations on Ferenciek Square in two weeks’ time, to hold “visits to Hatvanpuszta” and a demonstration in Dunaujvaros, central Hungary, next Tuesday.

The protest continued in Budapest

Law professor Zoltán Fleck, theologist Rita Perintfalvi, teacher Edit Simkó and Poland-based activist Kata Vida also held speeches.

Another huge protest in Budapest's downtown
Photo: FB/Hadházy

After the demonstration, the crowd walked to Pollack Mihály Square, to a construction that Hadházy said “tread rough-shod over construction regulations.” The crowd there met a demonstration held by an NGO for a greener downtown area, and was received by András Pikó, the mayor of the 8th district of Budapest.



Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony held a speech, and thanked participants for standing up for Budapest dwellers and Hungarian citizens. Referring to the demolition of the erstwhile headquarters of the Hungarian Radio, he said the government was using the city as a “sandbox”. Karácsony said he was “rooting for change … we need a government that will restore local self-government.”



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