Index affair triggers demonstration in Budapest – Photos
A demonstration was held in Budapest on Friday evening in protest against the dismissal of the editor-in-chief of news website index.hu, for media freedom.
The protest started at the editorial office in north Buda, then the demonstrators marched to Buda Castle.
Read alsoFinancial Times: “Independent media in Hungary shrinking since Orbán returned to power”
László Bodolai, chief of the foundation that exercises the employer’s rights at Index, initiated the dismissal of Szabolcs Dull on Wednesday.
On Friday, the portal announced in a “service statement” that all editors and almost all staff members had decided to quit.
“The journalists of Index have demonstrated that it makes sense having a moral backbone in this country,” András Fekete-Győr, leader of the opposition Momentum party, told the crowd, which filled Szent György Square next to the prime minister’s and the presidential office.
They had to stand up because “100 metres from here there is a cowardly little man who does not dare to face a mirror”, he said, adding that “we are fed up with cowardly politicians and their propagandists.”
Read alsoVice President Věra Jourová: Solidarity with Index journalists
“I would like to build a Hungary of brave people, a country with a free press, an unbiased public media, an independent Academy of Sciences, a country with a Central European University and Index,” Fekete-Győr said.
Independent lawmaker Ákos Hadházy said that “this demonstration should not be the last, the protests should continue”.
He insisted that the senior officials of the public media should be appointed on the basis of consensus.
“There is no regime against which you can’t fight successfully but the stricter the dictatorial rule, the stronger resistance one should put up against it,” he said.
The demonstration was initiated by Momentum and attended by politicians of several left-wing parties.
Source: MTI
My utmost sympathy to Index journalists. My full support to the protesters.
‘MOMENTUM’ and other Leftist organisations should be aware of the following ‘primary principles’ concerning modern news dissemination :
1. So-called ‘public media outlets’ can ONLY be funded by public use of tax money (with very strict controls at every level) – NOT through private media ownership. Once media companies are controlled by private interests, the owners will first and foremost be interested in appropriate ‘returns on their investment’ ( a primary tenet of modern capitalism).
2. Left-wing journalists should NOT be allowed to utilise ‘public media’ for propagation of their neo-liberal / Marxist / Socialist / Communist / pro-migration / pro-LGBTQ agendas, as has unfortunately been the case with ‘INDEX’. The fact that so many ‘Lefties’ have recently resigned from ‘INDEX’ in protest at being UNABLE to voice such outdated / disproven / unpopular notions will enable a long-overdue and thorough ‘cleansing’ of that organisation.
3. Leftist politicians must NOT have any role in ‘public media’ and attendance by followers of Karl Marx / Vladimir Lenin / Josef Stalin at ‘demonstrations’ supporting ‘Left-wing public media’ confirms that such demented / twisted individuals want a return to the good old days in Hungary where ‘all animals are equal but some are more equal than others’. Those ‘unequal’ animals could always be housed at ‘Recsk 1’ and other ‘labour camps’ in Hungary – and with any luck their property be expropriated / given as a ‘reward’ by the ‘State’ to its Leftist supporters and their families (a Leftist Hungarian politician – often described as Hungary’s “worst Prime Minister in living memory” – quickly comes to mind as being a beneficiary of such illegal ‘largesse’).
“OINK, OINK, OINK” scream all the Leftist pigs as they wallow in filth and excrement.
Hungarians are nation of imitators, they are mostly influenced by what is going on in the the West(USA). That is, the Hungarian people who escaped the communist regime in 1956 and settled down in the USA, after living in USA for decades, they decided they don’t like it here either, reselled in Hungary, after living in Hungary fo a while they started having second thoughts, wanted to come back to the USA and they do every chance they get, back and forth they go.I believe these are the people who are responsible for all these movements to change things. They are copying the liberal USA, who are also unhappy with everything. It will never end.
When its being led by opposition party members, you know its not a real protest.
Employers have the right to fire employees. Employees have, also, absolute right leave any employment. Former employees also have the right to start their own news paper, etc.. This is not an issue of free press. It is time to stop making mountains out of mole hills. The protesters just look silly.
When I looked out the window of my apartment I saw a great many people walking up towards Castle Hill. I did not know what the occasion was except for a few signs of Szabad Sajto and a group with purple flags and shouting. Ninety five percent of the people looked like they were enjoying the beautiful weather and a chance to get out with their kids, dogs, bikes and friends after being cooped up with the corona virus situation. The support for the cause I am sure was there but more importantly so was the CELEBRATION OF LIFE. We waved and greeted each other “Jo estét!”
I am the previous anonymous, just pushed the wrong key. I just want to add that what I saw was people out for a stroll, quite, respectful,peaceful. Back from a long pause that REFRESHES , and a new and thankfulness for life —