Opposition slams demolition of historic agriculture ministry as ‘corrupt monument destruction’
Independent lawmaker Ákos Hadházy told a demonstration in Budapest on Tuesday that the investment in Hatvanpuszta and the demolition of the former agriculture ministry near Parliament were both “examples of monument destruction and corruption”.
‘Corrupt monument destruction’
At the protest held on Ferenciek Square for the withdrawal of amendments to the assembly law and against the law on the transparency of public life, Hadházy said stopping the protests was conditional on their demands being met or the results of the elections next April.
Some demonstrations had many participants, some fewer, “but there are a lot more people than anyone could have predicted at the beginning,” he said.
Hadházy said ruling Fidesz’s actions in the coming period depended on their perception of the state of the campaign. “If they think they can win the elections with the usual propaganda and fraud, Fidesz will try to avoid tough measures. If they will see that they are in bigger trouble, we can expect a hot autumn … then many more will demonstrate, too,” he said.
“I am often asked whether they will cheat at the elections … and I have said a hundred, maybe a thousand times that they have cheated at the previous ones too.”
Hadházy said Fidesz had won the 2022 elections because it had used “tens of billions of forints to build propaganda” on certain statements by opposition politicians. “They managed to get a lot of people to believe the lie that the opposition wants war.”
The same was happening with the statements of Tisza deputy leader Zoltán Tarr in this election season, he said.
Hadházy announced another demonstration for next Tuesday in Budapest and a “visit” to Hatvanpuszta on Sept 27. Actors are demonstrating this Sunday on Heroes’ Square, he added.
At the end of the event, the crowd marched to Kossuth Square, where Hadházy said the historic building of the erstwhile agriculture ministry had been partially demolished to give way to a parking garage. The crowd walked through downtown Budapest, stopping at street corners and obstructing traffic for a few minutes at a time.
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