Staff at Hungary’s largest university stand up for freedom of assembly and LGBTQI people

The ELTE staff statement is published without changes:

Solidarity Statement for freedom of assembly and LGBTQI people

As members of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), we recently signed the statement below and invite our colleagues to join us in endorsing it.

A recent amendment to the law, passed at the government’s suggestion, and the concomitant proposal to amend the Fundamental Law violates our fundamental liberty and equal dignity. The government’s spurious claim, all too familiar from history, to protect our children sets the stage for the curtailment of the freedom of assembly of arbitrarily designated groups – in the first instance LMBTQI communities – as well as their surveillance and punishment. As university lecturers and researchers, we protest against this curtailment of basic rights. We affirm our commitment, on the basis of academic freedom, to protecting all our colleagues and students from incitement to hatred and ensuring their freedom of expression.

We issue the above statement because a number of our students and colleagues rightly feel stigmatised and threatened by this discriminatory and arbitrary legislation.

ELTE’s mission statement proclaims the values of professionalism, solidarity, humanity, and respect for human dignity and free expression. As faculty members of the Eötvös Loránd University, we accordingly declare that we remain committed to a diverse and inclusive institutional climate. We affirm that it is our responsibility to ensure that LGBTQI students and colleagues shall always feel free to make their voices heard in matters concerning them and the university community at large. There is no scientific basis for the Hungarian government’s claim that child protection concerns justify the ban on the Pride demonstration. This ban significantly restricts freedom of assembly.

It is particularly important to assume this responsibility at a time when our institutions and communities face growing government pressure and similar measures appear in other countries.

We refer to the Hungarian tradition of expressing solidarity in darker times, when for instance a number of Christian writers, artists, and scientists protesting anti-Jewish laws by publishing the following declaration on 5 May 1938 in the daily Pesti Napló:

“We protest with all the force of our conscience and believe that our words will not remain without effect in a country that owes all its glory to its heroic struggles for freedom of belief and thought, for the fullness of human rights. With this internal order, we appeal to the members of both houses of the Hungarian Parliament, to the Christian churches, to the chambers of the professions, to the economic sectors, to the trade unions and other interest groups, to the political, social, and cultural associations, to the sober and patriotic people of the whole country, to bear witness to their self-respect, courage, and selflessness and to take a stand against this proposal, which offends us all.”

Signatories:

Antal Tibor, Arapovics Mária, Barna Ildikó, Bátori Orsolya, Berényi Eszter Júlia, Buda Jakab Máté, Dörgő Benedek, Farkas Lilla, Fiáth Titanilla Judit, Frank Edina, Gecser Ottó Sándor, Gerő Márton, Gruber Andrea, Halmai Gábor, Heller Mária, Huszka Beáta, Joós Attila, Kállai Péter, Kovács Ágnes, Kovács Kriszta, Körtvélyesi Zsolt, Kucsera Csaba, Lendák-Kabók Karolina, Lux Ágnes, Majtényi Balázs, Máté Dorottya, Modla Zsuzsanna, Nagy Alíz, Orosz Éva, Pál Eszter, Peragovics Tamás, Rábáné Wallner Rita, Rakovics Márton, Rücz Ágnes, Ryder Andrew, Rudas Tamás, Salát Orsolya, Schweitzer András, Sik Domonkos, Sik Dorottya, Soltész Béla, Szabari Veronika, Szabó Miklós, Székely Júlia, Szentgyörgyi József, Tábor Áron, Takács Erzsébet, Takács Flóra, Tausz Katalin, Timár Krisztina, Tóth Emese, Turai Katalin Andrea, Ujlaki Anna, Wessely Anna

The original statement here.

As we wrote earlier, the European Commission slams Hungary’s LGBTQ law, details HERE.

Also, the United Nations slams Hungary for new anti-LGBTIQ+ law banning Pride march