Will Budapest have an Alexei Navalny Promenade in front of the Russian embassy?
On Wednesday evening, around one hundred people gathered opposite the Russian embassy in Budapest’s Terézváros district to commemorate Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition politician who died in custody.
Navalny’s memorial in Budapest damaged from time to time
As Telex writes, the gathering was larger than previous memorials, partly due to recent attempts to remove plaques and inscriptions from a spontaneous memorial near the Bajza Street metro station, close to the embassy. This memorial was established shortly after Navalny’s death and features photos, inscriptions, candles, and flowers placed by locals. Fruzsina Magyar, a 71-year-old dramaturg who joined the group later on, has been organising regular commemorations, now numbering six, to remember Navalny and protest against Putin’s aggression.
The event caught the attention of Gergely Karácsony, Budapest’s Mayor, who was invited but could not attend due to a council meeting. Instead, he sent a letter expressing Budapest’s pride in Navalny and all who honour him. He called Navalny a hero and supported the creation of a permanent memorial in his name. Karácsony also backs naming the street facing the embassy the “Navalny Promenade,” which requires approval from the city council. Soproni Tamás, mayor of Terézváros, has also backed the idea, signalling local support for the initiative.
The Russian embassy is not happy
The Russian embassy condemned the memorial and blamed the protesters for the resulting controversy, labelling the outrage a provocation. Despite these reactions, the local community regrouped after the memorial was vandalised, with Oláh János of the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party stepping in to assist in restoring it. He remains hopeful that the city council will approve the promenade renaming and the official memorial.
Literary historian Zsuzsa Hetényi, who addressed the crowd in Russian, highlighted the enduring spirit of resistance against oppression, affirming that “no dictatorship lasts forever” and drawing parallels between Navalny’s fate and Hungary’s own struggles post-1990s reforms. Migration Aid founder Sándor Ujhelyi, participating with technical support, reflected on Navalny’s choice to return to Russia despite attempts on his life, symbolising his dedication to his people and cause.