homeless

Hungarian homeless man, brutally beaten in London – caught on CCTV

Violence

At the entrance of Savoy Hotel (London), a doorman was filmed by CCTV as he was punching and kicking a homeless man of Hungarian origin, in the head several times. The colleagues of the luxury hotel’s associate just kept watching it without any attempt of intervention. 

According to The Telegraph, the Hungarian victim is known as Attila, and the doorman caught him after stealing coins from the water fountain nearby – therefore a brutal assault followed, and the rough sleeper was punched and kicked on the ground repeatedly. The incident happened on 30th December last year. On Saturday, spokesman of the hotel announced that associates of the Savoy were shocked and outraged by the assault, this is why they reported it immediately to the police – Scotland Yard is examining the CCTV footage. This is not the first incident of a Hungarian homeless man in the heart of London – he probably died of drug poisoning last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfGZNvXff_8&has_verified=1

On the footage we can see a scruffy man in winter jacket being thrown onto the ground, punched and kicked in the head violently by a security guard in black suits, at the front door of the hotel. In the end, the guard pulled himself up on a big flower pot and jumped down with both feet onto the homeless man’s body – without any intervention by other staff who were watching the incident. 

The victim is a Hungarian homeless man, called Attila in his mid-40s – said the 58-year-old Jezrzy Fudala, one of Attila’s homeless friends to the Telegraph. Fudala said:

“I saw him a few days ago. I remember in the winter had he was assaulted and said to avoid this area because of the conflict with security. He says he’s not coming to Savoy because it’s dangerous with security. He lives in Camden. He’s Hungarian. He hangs out with two Englishmen. I see him sometimes.”

The attacker was applied by the hotel through an agency during the festive season at the time. One of The Telegraph’s sources at Savoy called the incident a “total disgrace.“

Svoy Hotel - London
Savoy Hotel – London
Photo: https://www.facebook.com

  

“Homeless people do wander into Savoy Court from time to time, but they never cause trouble. Sometimes they take a few coins from the fountain, but they are soon asked to leave, so they leave. This could never be justified. It’s just total savagery. I think the other doormen have a case to answer as well. Why didn’t they intervene?”

One of the hotel’s spokesmen says that the incident was reported at that time by the staff, but without any details of seriousness. This is why they have reported it to the police recently.  

“The individual concerned is no longer associated with the hotel in any way. We are shocked and appalled by his actions and apologise to the individual and the public for what occurred.”

The investigation of the incident was reopened after the video was published on social media, on 5th September – local police confirmed. The victim did not report anything about the incident, just left the area. Now the authorities are working on identifying the aggressor and bringing him in for questioning and facing the victim. 

You can read about the story of a homeless man of Hungarian origin, who became the hero of a UK town, here – he died of leukaemia last year.

PMs in the UK raise £5,000 for homeless after the death of a Hungarian rough sleeper

metro westminster tube london

According to a parliament worker, who remains to be anonymous, that it is the best possible way to make sure that the memory of Gyula Remes remains with us. The parliamentary workers raised over £5,000 and donated it to an organization called StretLink in memory of Gyula, who was a rough sleeper near the House of Commons. According to them, the case is “shocking” and “shameful”. Each donator gave around £200, so the £5,000 donation quickly came about.

One of the donators said the following: “I’d rather pay this every month in tax than see another story about someone like Gyula Remes dying due to the indifference and complacency of people who should know better.” – News.sky.com.

All £5,000 will be received by StreetLink, which is an organisation that helps the homeless to connect with local support services and other means of help.

Gyula Remes, a Hungarian national suddenly died on Tuesday, as he collapsed in the Underground tunnel connecting Westminster station with the House of Commons. For his honour, people gathered flowers and his favourite drink, a Belgian beer, Stella Artois. His friend Gábor recounted that Remes always said he loved Stella, for which many people thought he referred to his wife or partner.

Paul, a homeless man who slept rough with Gyula Remes, said concerning the fundraising that it was “humbling”, but he had his concerns. He worries whether the money will be in good hands and whether it will be spent or distributed “the way it should be”.

He said that although “there are plenty of charities in London – there’s Passage, Crisis, and Connections, to name a few – yet we are still in the same position after a year despite this charity donation, so I’m not sure”. He is not alone with his fear, however. Marco Lisi, another homeless man, who sleeps near Westminster, shares Paul’s concerns. Marco thinks that raising money is a good solution to help homeless people if it is utilised directly to help people sleeping on the streets.

You can read about another Hungarian homeless, who became a hero in the UK.

The anonymous person, who organised the fundraising explained his decision when choosing what action to take. “Many will rightly want to debate the best thing to do about rough sleeping, but we thought that the best gesture that would be open to everyone across the parliamentary estate might be to donate to StreetLink”

Shockingly, the case of Gulya Remes was not the only one, another rough sleeper who was living near the Palace of Westminster died earlier this year.

Melanie Onn, a shadow housing minister, accused the parliamentary workers, taking part in the fundraising, of, as she formulated, “outsourcing” responsibility:

“These figures are the result of an increasingly fracturing system of social security and support, results of government decisions, government choices.”

You can check out the reaction of the opposition for Hungary’s new homeless law HERE.

Hungarian homeless man dies in the heart of London

London United Kingdom travel

A Hungarian homeless man died in the streets of London. He was found lying unconscious at the Westminster metro station, and paramedics could not save him. His photos were displayed at the metro station in his memory.

A Hungarian homeless man was found dead at the Westminster metro station, Szeretlekmagyarország reports. The 42-year-old man called Gyula was not the first homeless man to die in the same neighbourhood.

In 2017, approximately 600 homeless people died in England. That is a 24% increase in the number of deaths in the last five years.

The Guardian also reported some statistics: “84% of the homeless people who died were men. London and the north-west had the highest mortality of homeless people in England and Wales.”

More than half of the deaths in 2017 were caused by drug poisoning, suicide and alcohol abuse. No figures were calculated for 2018.

Gyula’s body was found by his close friend, the 22-year-old Gábor, who told The Guardian that Gyula wanted to check in the nearby homeless shelter, but he was sent away due to lack of space. Gábor also told The Guardian that Gyula managed to finally find a job, he was about to start working as a chef’s assistant. He was feeling like his life was finally going to get better.

Gyula was found at the Westminster metro station, lying unconscious in his own vomit. Unfortunately, the paramedics could not save his life.

Another homeless man, Tim, living in the same neighbourhood, claims that it was not the cold that took Gyula’s life. He claims that drugs and alcohol are the real killers on the street.

Tim also claimed to know Gyula personally, and he said that Gyula was a frequent user of marijuana, and he often drank alcohol as well.

This is not really a surprise. Many homeless people claim that they can only cope with the difficulties of living in the cold in the streets with the help of alcohol.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/fidesz-proposes-constitutional-ban-on-homelessness/” type=”big” color=”orange” newwindow=”yes”] Fidesz proposes constitutional ban on homelessness[/button]

In Gyula’s memory, in the station, there is a shrine with his picture, flowers and a can of his favourite beer. “He loved Stella. That was his beer,” Kasza says.

Members of the parliament often come across Westminster metro station.

Labour MP David Lammy tweeted: “There is something rotten in Westminster when MPs walk past dying homeless people on their way to work.”

Members of the British Parliament plan to ban those homeless people from the country who do not have a good occupation, and who are unable to settle in, writes hvg. People without jobs will not be able to immigrate into the United Kingdom.

In November, Daily News Hungary reported on another Hungarian man who was living on the streets of a UK town called Bath, and he was considered to be a hero, after saving a little girl from drowning. He died of a terminal illness this November. You can read his story here:

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/the-homeless-hungarian-hero-of-a-uk-town-dies/” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] The homeless Hungarian hero of a UK town dies[/button]

Featured image: Pixabay

The homeless Hungarian hero of a UK town dies

homeless, magazine, vendor

István Kakas died from leukaemia at the age of 52 last month. He lived in Bath, a town in the UK where people are now commemorating him, reports 444.

A reader of 444 noticed in The Big Issue that the homeless man had died and, thinking of the current situation of homeless people in Hungary, he sent the news to the Hungarian magazine:

„I wanted to share his story with you because of the inhuman treatment of the homeless in Hungary nowadays. Maybe it will be good food for thought. I just want to make sure he will be properly remembered if you write about him, not just in England, but in his home country as well.”

– their reader wrote. The English media paid their respects too: BBC, The Big Issue, for whom he sold magazines, and Sommersetlive all wrote about him. The latter published a well-detailed article about Mr Kakas.

István was like an attraction in town, a city institution; he knew most of the people of Bath. However, we still do not know much about his story. He once told The Big Issue he served in the army and then worked as a chef under Gordon Ramsey and Michelin-star chef Michael Caines. He moved to Bath at around 2010, and he appeared almost every day since then on the Halfpenny Bridge of the River Avon, selling the copies of Big Issue. Locals all highlighted that he was always smiling and it was nice speaking with him. After a while, he started sweeping the bridge and decorating it with flowers once in a while.

In 2014, a father and his daughter were crossing the bridge by bicycle. The 8-year-old girl fell into the river, and his father jumped in after her, but could not get themselves out to the shore. Luckily, István was there to help and pull them out with his sweep. Mr Kakas was shocked that people were just standing there recording the scenes with their phones instead of helping the troubled family. He instantly became the hero of Bath, and he had been given a Mayor of Bath’s Good Citizen of the Year Award.

Locals say the bridge should be renamed Istvan’s Bridge. Many people paid their respects by putting flowers, joint cards and candles on it. Gemma, Andy and Robyn left a card with flowers on the bridge, saying:

“Thank you for all of the chats, smiles and high fives. You always made our day brighter!”

He was a regular churchgoer: St Matthews’ Church offered to bury him free of charge. At the same time, locals started a fundraiser so that they could place a little plaque on the bridge and to make him a decent funeral feast. If any money remains, they will give it to Dorothy House, where Mr Kakas spent his last days receiving hospice care. Their goal had been GBP 3000, but they already collected one and a half times more.

If you wish to visit the page and donate, click here.

Earlier, we wrote about the Hungarian Government banning homelessness in Hungary. Click here to learn more.

Featured Image: facebook.com/bigissueuk/

The government’s homeless ban claims its first victim in Gödöllő

The man was “caught red-handed” by the police while sitting on a bench in Kossuth Lajos Street, reports 444.

“He is well-known here, some locals bring food for him occasionally, he is not a troublesome person at all. He worked as an engineer, but he lost his home. He is in terrible condition”

– described his defendant his public lawyer, Zoltán Varga.

The police officers accused him of living a homeless lifestyle, which he did not deny. When the man said that he does not want to go to a homeless shelter, but would rather stay in Erzsébet Park nearby, they took him to the police department and took him into custody. He was taken to the Regional Court of Gödöllő in handcuffs today.

Zoltan Varga, a lawyer, told 444 that the homeless man tried to explain why he did not want to stay at the shelter home; because, for example, conflicts, fights and theft are regular there.

The Police asked for a 30-day confinement against the man, but the assistant judge (in case of a misdemeanour, assistant judges, who are preparing to become a judge, decide) only warned him, which was accepted by all parties, thus there was no appeal. The man would have to pay a penalty of 20 thousand forints. Although the Police took his belongings temporarily, those were returned at the end of today’s trial.

He promised that he would ask his friends to let him stay and if he does not succeed, he will go to the homeless shelter despite his concerns.

According to Zoltán Varga,

it has not been made clear enough, when his defendant was warned by the police, because, in accordance with the new law, a trial can only be initiated against someone for homelessness, if one has been warned 3 times in 90 days.

The police have warned 27 homeless on October 15th, the day the ban was enacted.

Under the new rule, homelessness is forbidden, meaning that one cannot live on the streets permanently. Those, who break the rule, can be sentenced to community service or even be imprisoned. Authorities are permitted to destroy the belongings of the homeless, for which the state does not have to compensate them.

Featured image: Pixabay

Orbán’s cabinet: Homeless ban aimed at ‘saving lives’

homeless

Regulations banning rough sleepers from public areas, effective from Monday, are aimed at “saving lives”, a state secretary of the human resources ministry told public television M1.

The new rules are instrumental in preventing homeless people from freezing in public spaces in winter and helped all those living in the street to homeless shelters, Bence Rétvári said.

He insisted that “there have always been” enough beds at those facilities.

Homeless facilities will help clients to “social services, clothing, (regular) jobs or participation in public works schemes, or training”, the official said, adding that “it is obvious that the way out of homelessness is through these temporary shelters”.

According to Rétvári, the government is spending 9 billion forints (EUR 28m) on homeless services and is in cooperation with “several hundred” charity organisations.

Rétvári said that the new rules were necessary because “earlier regulations were unsuitable to eliminate homelessness”.

Hajnalka Juhász, MP of the co-ruling Christian Democrats, told a press conference that homeless shelters were “prepared” for the winter season with a total of 19,000 beds, complete with facilities for personal hygiene and health services. She said that the shelters were open around the clock and added that “apart from police officers, social workers also facilitate communication with the homeless”.

The government want the homeless “feel that they are not abandoned”, the deputy said.

The opposition Párbeszéd party said it would appeal to the Constitutional Court, arguing that destroying the possessions of homeless people, as facilitated by the new rules, would be wrong.

“Fidesz has declared war against homeless people rather than homelessness,” Bence Tordai, a deputy for the party, told a press conference. He added that the government needed “a new enemy to replace the now distressed image of migrants”.

An appeal to the top court requires the support of 50 MPs.

Demonstration held in Budapest against new law banning homelessness

protest against banning homelessness

A protest against a Hungarian law amendment that bans anyone from living and sleeping in a public space was held on Sunday.

A few hundred people gathered in Kossuth Square in front of Parliament and were addressed by a number of celebrated Hungarian writers.

The law amendment comes into force on Monday.

At the demonstration organised by the activist group The City is for Everyone (A Város Mindenkié), Márta Erdőhegyi, a member of the group, said punishment was not a solution to the problem of homelessness, and instead people should be helped to get hold of a home.

Whereas homeless refuges provide security and help for many, more durable and worthy solutions are needed to eliminate homelessness, she added.

Attila Fülop, the state secretary for social affairs and inclusion, reacted that real help comes in the form of services that Hungary’s homeless actually make use of.

The change of law, enshrined in Hungary’s constitution, bans people from inhabiting a public space.

There are altogether 19,000 places available for homeless people in shelters, where they have access to all amenities, Fülop told a press conference.

The government is spending 9.1 billion forints (EUR 28m) on homeless care this year, Fülop said, adding that it has decided to set up a reserve fund of 300 million forints for extra homeless provision.

Lajos Dani-Győri, the vice president of the Hungarian Maltese Charity, said their responsibilities will not change with the new law, and the charity has the necessary infrastructure to provide for the homeless.

Featured image: MTI

Law change affecting homeless ‘serves interests of society as a whole’, says Hungarian government

homeless

The change of law enshrined in Hungary’s constitution, which effectively outlaws living on the street, “serves the interests of society as a whole”, a government official said on Thursday.

The law amendment that enters into force on Oct. 15, “aims to ensure that homeless people are not on the streets at nighttime and that citizens can make use of public space unimpeded,” Attila Fülöp, the state secretary for social affairs and inclusion, told a press conference in Veszprem, in western Hungary.

The law states that making public space a habitat is forbidden.

He said the government is setting aside a reserve fund of 300 million forints (EUR 925,000) for homeless provision such as ensuring the operations of day and night shelters and 24-hour aid for the needy.

“From a humanitarian point of view, it is important to develop the institutions that provide for the homeless,” he added.

Additionally, seven tenders worth 650 million forints have been won to upgrade institutions for the homeless across the country, he said.

Miklós Vécsei, deputy head of the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service, said it was important to find professional solutions for dealing with people living on the street who are reluctant to move into an institution.

Lajos Némedi, the (Fidesz-KDNP) deputy mayor of Veszprém, said that caring for the homeless worked well in the city thanks to the good cooperation of the people concerned, and this would apply in the future, too.

1.5 million Hungarian people live in pauperage

budapest weather cloud

According to Pénzcentrum.hu, millions of Hungarians live in damp low comfort-level homes, and they cannot afford renovation. 80 percent of the 4.4 million residential real estates in Hungary are insufficient regarding modern engineering and energetics criteria. This means that most Hungarians live in different levels of housing poverty and there is no way out. The several smaller problems that the housing poverty consists of creates a vicious circle that affect low-income households the most.

Not only homeless people and run-down neighbourhoods far from Budapest are troubled. This year Habitat for Humanity Hungary has shown its seventh annual report concerning housing poverty.

It came to light that two-to-three million people in Hungary live in different types of housing poverty and the position of tenants is also very unreliable.

1.5 million people live in houses with serious quality issues.

People living in these crowded and damp homes do not have enough money to afford repairs. From the 4.4 million residential real estates in Hungary 80 per cent are under the modern engineering and energetics benchmarks, meaning that the cost of accommodation for most Hungarians and their quality of life are negatively affected by the physical attributes of their homes.

Every third household has wealth issues concerning their housing. This means that they need to spend an irrationally large amount of their salary on overhead, rent, or loan. These significant expenses then lead to debt. Currently, 1.4 million (approximately one-third of the) households have taken out some type of loan, at least 13 per cent of the homes have arrears that are over 60e days, while 750 000 enforcements are being in progress. The amount of these enforcements are as much as 7 per cent of the annual GDP of the country. In the light of these facts, it is understandable why there is almost a dozen eviction daily and why we still cannot declare the (foreign currency based) loan-crisis issue settled – as announced at the presentation of the Annual report.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/high-rent-low-number-of-rooms-nowhere-to-stay-for-hungarian-students/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] HIGH RENT, LOW NUMBER OF ROOMS: NOWHERE TO STAY FOR HUNGARIAN STUDENTS[/button]

The report of Habitat for Humanity deems those households having housing poverty that have either affordability or quality issues, are below the average energy-efficiency, or are areally or legally more impaired or vulnerable than average households. Usually, a family living in housing poverty befits more of these criteria at once.

Conservative approximation, therefore, suggests that 2-to-3 million people live in housing poverty across the country, meaning that they experience (m)any of the issues mentioned above.

There is no way out of this vicious circle

The main statement of the 2018 report – like previous ones – is that the housing crisis in Hungary only deteriorates. Alongside this issue, the quality of available homes is very poor, while the energy-efficiency and overhead-price issue in correlation create the biggest obstacle. Although the government has spent more on housing problems in the last few years than previously, it mainly had an impact only on middle-or higher-class households. Unfortunately, the support, which is not based on neediness, is nine times higher than the one concerning social basis.

It is important to note that several smaller problems together create a vicious circle that we may call the trap of housing poverty. Those who are born into it or fall into it have a really hard time getting out.

Lower income, in other words, more impoverished households are disadvantageous in several dimensions. Issues relating to energy-efficiency affect them more deeply, the probability of such households located in areas of the country where certain quintessential services are unavailable is much higher, and they are legally more vulnerable compared to other homes.

This trap also creates a spatially visible pattern as well. While the inner districts of Budapest and other bigger cities, as well as the holiday areas, show an increase in value, tens of thousands of people are trapped in the periphery, and hundreds of thousands of other people are cornered into the sparse countryside.

The relevant data for the first half of 2017 and 2018, as well as our own experience, show no positive change concerning how the government tackles problems connected to housing. The intent to create a comprehensive policy to mitigate social differences is yet to be seen, and the coordination of the housing issues between several departments is also insufficient – as stated by Zsolt Szegfalvi, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Hungary

There is no sign of engaging with problems leading to homelessness, neither any sign of raising national resources to support in need on a social basis.

In 2018, the lack of country-wide preventative measures and the lack of a well-established social welfare system can more easily lead to the loss of people’s accommodation in certain situations such as divorce, accumulated debt, temporary health issues or unemployment, than in the previous years. In Budapest or other big cities, gaining someone’s housing back in such financial states is even more challenging. – he added.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/oecd-study-hungarians-among-most-indebted-and-least-wealthiests/” type=”big” color=”black” newwindow=”yes”] HUNGARIANS AMONG MOST INDEBTED AND LEAST WEALTHIESTS – OECD STUDY[/button]

People cannot afford modernisation or even heating

It is estimated that by the energy-efficient modernisation of residential buildings, Hungary’s power-consumption could be cut by one-sixth – as stated during the opening of the presentation.

On major flaw of dealing with energy-related issues is that in 42 per cent of Hungarian households and three-quarters of the homes in smaller settlements people still use wood for heating (this proportion has risen over the years), and they also use outdated equipment.

The air pollution caused by the non-adequate heating equipment is responsible for approximately 19 per cent of the loss of the amount of Hungary’s GDP by inducing several types of healthcare problems. Heating can also cause significant affordability problems, as it takes up most of the overhead expenses, which can be difficult for many people to pay for (for example, the price of wood has steeply risen over the past few years).

Renting prices are also in the sky

One of the highlighted issues of this year’s report is the lower segment of underlease housing. Between 2010 and 2016 the costs of renting a house have increased by 75 per cent and the increase is not yet stopped.

The average price of smaller flats is even higher. In 2010 a 30 square metre flat cost about 45,000 forints a month, nowadays, the same flat costs around 85,000.

In the meantime, the income of the people with the lowest 10 per cent of salary has not increased by this rate.

In the lowest tenth, the yearly average income of a person between 2010 and 2016 has only increased by 11.4 per cent, but the renting prices have increased by 75 per cent.

These are people who would need an affordable and permanent housing instead of renting market-price accommodation. Lacking such housing, these people will eventually turn to temporary shelters or institutions, or, in the worst case, they might be trapped in an “extortionate-subtenancy”. It has become widespread that the targets are lower-class people who are offered a relatively small room for steeply high prices.

Those who are trapped in “extortionate-subtenancies” or worker’s hostels pay around 45-105,000 forints for a bed or a small room – said Kata Ámon, one of the authors of the Annual report. To the reporter’s questions, she replied that these people have a net wage of about 95,000 forints. This means that nearly half of their wage is paid out for accommodation if we count the lower end of the spectrum. She also stated that she does not know the average renting prices as she can only tell prices from her individual interviews.

Habitat for Humanity’s findings show that instead of the usually inhumane living conditions of such alternative housings, a well-aimed sub-lease aid or a well infrastructured social housing program would be the sustainable solution to the problem in the long run. Besides this, they also think that reforming the support for wood fuel and the need from the government to help to settle small-value debts is also very important.

Instead of small fixes, we need a comprehensive solution – Zsuzsanna Pósfai, editor of the Annual report.

translated by Péter Licskay

Public administration courts to open on Jan 1, 2020

government Hungary

Hungary’s new public administration courts will be up a running on January 1, 2020, the Prime Minister’s Office chief said on Thursday.

The government has approved the concept of a new, specialised system of eight regional public administration courts and a supreme public administration court headquartered in Esztergom, in northern Hungary, Gergely Gulyás told a regular press conference.

By the end of October, the justice ministry will submit draft legislation on the new system and parliament may vote on it during its autumn session, he said.

Gulyás said introducing the new system was about “restoring historical tradition”.

Hungary had maintained structurally independent public administration courts until 1949 when “the communists” abolished them.

He insisted that the new system would ensure faster and more effective justice for complainants against public administration decisions.

As well as introducing the public administration courts, the government seeks to implement a reform of public administration aimed at simplifying certain procedures and clarifying spheres of authority, Gulyás said.

On another topic, Gulyás announced that the government had decided to set up a reserve fund of 300 million forints (EUR 925,000) for homeless services. He said the fund will be used to set up facilities “for public sanitation tasks” to be performed before a rough sleeper “is taken to a night shelter”. Gulyás noted that

a new law banning homeless people from public areas will take effect on Oct. 15, adding that currently there are more beds in shelters than homeless people in the streets.

The government wants to eliminate “situations that harm the dignity of people with no homes.”

Concerning European Union funds payable to Hungary for border control, Gulyás said no funds had been forthcoming so far.

Regarding a proposal by the national federation of builders aimed at keeping VAT on construction at the current level, Gulyás said VAT had been reduced to 5 percent three years ago on a temporary basis. He said that the measure had met the government’s expectations of boosting construction and there was no point in maintaining it.

Answering a question concerning construction of a new hospital in south Buda, Gulyás said construction of the new facility was scheduled to start in the middle of next year.

Meanwhile, in response to another question, he said the government had not been officially approached by Israel concerning the House of Fates Holocaust museum project. He added that the government was planning to open the facility on the 75th anniversary of the Holocaust “unless the project is thwarted”. He added that “strong forces have been mobilised to stop the scheme.”

European Commission will examine new Hungarian legislation

EU flag

The European Commission has said it will examine whether the new legislative package adopted by Hungary’s parliament on Wednesday falls in line with EU law, and it will take the Venice Commission’s opinion into consideration, an EU commission spokesman said on Thursday.

Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a government-sponsored constitutional amendment aiming to “preserve Hungary’s Christian culture”, set up an administrative high court and ban homelessness.

Pending the assessment’s conclusions, the commission will take any steps necessary, Christian Wigand, said.

The commission will take into account the impact of the law on European values as well as how those values are protected, he added.

Commenting on the new rules on homelessness contained in the constitution, Wigand said all EU member states, including Hungary, have committed themselves to sheltering and helping refugees and homeless people as well as promoting their social integration. The commission‘s policy is that homeless people should have access to shelter, he added.

Hungarian parliament passes seventh constitutional amendment: banning homelessness

homeless income hungary

Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a government-initiated constitutional amendment on “the preservation of Hungary’s Christian culture”, the creation of an administrative high court and on banning homelessness.

The amendment also declares the protection of Hungary’s constitutional identity as a duty of the state. It also states that foreign nationals cannot be resettled in Hungary.

The amendment also includes the protection of the home and the protection of private life, stating that “people must not be bothered in their homes”.

The amendment requiring a two-thirds majority was passed with 159 votes in favour and 5 against.

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has said on 13 July, it wants the government to consider inserting a provision into the current round of changes to the constitution that would create the legal conditions for banning people from living in public spaces given that everyone without a home is guaranteed shelter. Read more HERE.

Parliament committee approves constitutional amendment proposals on banning homelessness

homeless

Parliament’s legislative committee on Thursday approved two constitutional amendment proposals on “the preservation of Hungary’s Christian culture” and on banning homelessness.

The proposed amendments were submitted by ruling Fidesz lawmakers.

Under the first,

the fundamental law would oblige all state organisations to “protect Hungary’s self-identity and Christian culture”.

“There is no Europe and Hungary without Christian culture,” the proponents said, citing recent developments in Europe that they said could “culturally transform the continent”.

The other constitutional amendment would create the legal conditions for banning people from living in public spaces given that everyone without a home is guaranteed shelter under state or local council schemes.

Pál Völner, the justice ministry’s state secretary, told the committee that the government supported the proposed amendments.

Government and opposition members of the committee held a two-hour debate about the proposals.

Lawmakers of the leftist opposition Socialist, Democratic Coalition and Párbeszéd parties insisted that enshrining the preservation of Christian culture in the constitution contravenes the basic principles of the freedom of conscience and religion, and the separation of church and state.

They also raised concern about the implementation of the provision in practice.

Socialist lawmaker Tamás Harangozó asked from whom Christian culture should be protected, “from the Jews or the non-faithful?” Sándor Burány of Párbeszéd qualified the planned provision as a “move towards Christian fundamentalism”. Lóránt László Keresztes of LMP spoke about what he saw an absence of Christian culture from government policies.

In response, István Bajkai of Fidesz said that Christian culture was not a matter of faith or religiousness but what Christianity had given to mankind.

“It is blindness not to see that Christian culture is in danger when women, children and families are being murdered in Europe and alternative legal systems have developed in several European cities,” he said.

Concerning the second amendment, opposition lawmakers said that the government should rather increase funds for homeless care and prolong the ban on forced evictions.

Bajkai said that speaking about the right to live on the street reflected a misinterpretation of freedom, and emphasised that sufficient places of accommodation are available to the homeless.

As we wrote before, Hungary currently has around 15,000 homeless people and 4,000 or so live on the streets at night, the head of a charity for the homeless said, read more HERE.

Fidesz proposes constitutional ban on homelessness

homeless street society

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has said it wants the government to consider inserting a provision into the current round of changes to the constitution that would create the legal conditions for banning people from living in public spaces given that everyone without a home is guaranteed shelter.

Governing party lawmaker István Bajkai said at a press conference on Tuesday that he would initiate the individual MP’s amendment with a view to ensuring that “everyone can make use of the city as a real home on an equal basis”.

The Fidesz politician said people use public spaces to live in was a decades-long problem. “Besides the public-security and public-health dangers, this is a burden on city-dwellers,” he added.

He noted that the state and local councils provide extensive support schemes, such as day centres and night-time accommodation for people whose lives are difficult and who are unable to live in their own homes.

This is how many people froze to death by the middle of March in Hungary

Hungary police

According to the Magyar Szociális Fórum (Hungarian Social Forum), 192 people froze to death by the middle of March. 24.hu reports that 54 percent of them passed away outdoors, during the drive to the hospital or at the institution. The other 46 percent died in unheated apartments, and most of these victims were elderly, sick, or severely poor.

The Hungarian Social Forum also states that the number of these tragedies decreased since the last two years. The amount was 203 during the winter of 2017. The forum also explains that this is thanks to the milder weather, not to the government’s actions. The authority continues evicting people and does not stop distress. Therefore,

many citizens have to choose between eating and heating their home.

This is the reason why so many victims freeze to death in their own apartment. And this phenomenon happened due to the inability to pay the bills throughout the country.

The Red Code

The Hungarian Ministry of Human Capacities can command this warning.

The Red Code comes into action when the temperature reaches -10 Celsius.

This means that not only those organisations that help homeless people but also those that can give shelter temporarily, have to open to those in need. Potential residing facilities, dispatcher centres, and social workers are also alert during the warning.

Károly Czibere, Minister of State for Social Affairs and Social Inclusion, said that the providing system was on 94 percent during the coldest night. Therefore, nobody was forced to spend the night risking their lives.

Photo: MTI

Homeless shelters offer 5,549 temporary places in Hungary

Homeless shelters in Hungary can accommodate a total of 5,549 people for temporary stay according to August data, business daily Világgazdaság said on Friday.

A total of 707 people are on waiting lists, with over 500 waiting for temporary placement in Budapest shelters, the daily said.

The government published a nearly 360 million forint (EUR 1.1m) tender to cover the rising costs of providing care for homeless people over the winter. It also provides a 50 million forint emergency limit for organisations helping the homeless, the human resources ministry told Világgazdaság.

In a procedural change starting this winter, the human resources minister announces a

“code red warning” when the daily average temperatures fall below -10 C or rise above +27 C.

Buildings normally not involved in homeless services will then be opened to house those without shelter, the ministry said.

As we wrote last November, Hungary currently had around 15,000 homeless people and 4,000 or so live on the streets at night.

How much do you know about the historic floods of Hungary? – PHOTOS, VIDEOS

By now everyone has heard about that Hungary is the country of waters. We love our lakes, rivers and last but not least: our thermal baths. But what is beyond this love? Is this an entirely peaceful relationship?

Well, the answer is a bit difficult. Let’s say, water lets us take advantage of it for some time, but after a while it demands something in return. In what follows we will list some of the biggest floods in Hungarian history, which remind us that a coin always has another side.

Great Flood of Szeged in 1879

The great flood of Szeged in 1879 was the most dramatic tragedy the town had to suffer since the era of the Ottoman rule in the region. On March 12, 1879 the water of River Tisza suddenly covered almost the whole town leaving no time for the inhabitants to rescue their goods. The water was so strong it could get through every dikes controlling the river. Only the oldest part of Szeged managed to avoid the flood as it was located high enough. About 151 people died, 5458 houses collapsed and 60 thousand people became homeless. The huge destruction has been immortalized by some photographs, paintings and also literary works.

Szeged in 1879 – locals escaping from water stayed in the white tents on top of the castle wall
Source: Wiki Commons

Painting of Pál Vágó representing the Great Flood of Szeged
Source: Wiki Commons

Franz Joseph I of Austria went to visit Szeged already on March 17, 1879. He promised to help the town. Indeed, Austria was the country that gave the biggest support, but offerings have arrived from several parts of the world. Germany, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, China, Japan, India and France were among the countries that supported Szeged. Donations have also arrived from America and Africa contributing to the reconstruction of the town. This unprecedented collaboration is represented by the Great Flood Memorial listing the capitals of the countries that offered their help.

Great Flood Memorial in Szeged
Source: Wiki Commons

The following video contains some records of the flood.

Icy flood of 1956

As napitortenelmiforras.blog.hu reports, the year 1956 did not lack disasters in Hungary. Although it immediately recalls the memories of the Revolution and the War of Independence in Hungary, a serious earthquake and a huge flood also happened in the very same year. Between January and March 1956, the weather showed some rapid changes and this led to the so-called icy flood of the Danube. The dikes were in very poor condition, thus, they could not stop the icy water. However, civilians, soldiers, police officers and members of the Soviet army (staying in Hungary temporarily) did their best to reduce the amount of destruction. Due to the flood, thousands of people became homeless, but the neighbouring towns and villages offered to house them in every case.

The flood caused the biggest destruction in Baja and Mohács, but other places were damaged, too. For example, the photo above shows that the water could move the massive flood-gate of Tass, made of concrete, easily.

Flood-gate of Tass in 1956
Source: Wiki Commons

This was the first flood in Hungary that was recorded by a movie available for the public. The movie shows the strength of the icy flood, the risky job of the sappers bombing the ice near Kossuth Bridge and the huge efforts of everyone working to stop the flood.

Recent flood of 2013

Hungary was not the only country affected by the recent flood of 2013, as all Central Europe was threatened by it. The Hungarian Government declared a state of emergency already on June 4, and the flood of the Danube arrived soon afterwards. The water level was finally culminated on June 9, when it was above the general level by 891 cm, which broke the record of the flood of 2006. This difference can be seen by comparing the two photos of the same location in 2006 and 2013.

Water level in 2006 at Vigadó tér Ship Station
Source: Wiki Commons

Water level in 2013 at Vigadó tér Ship Station
Source: Wiki Commons

The destruction was not as huge as that of the other two floods mentioned above. This is mainly thanks to the successful prevention and the huge efforts of the volunteers fighting the river. In terms of numbers, around 206,000 people were directly threatened by the flood and 1570 people had to leave their home. As the Danube did not raise as suddenly as, for example, in 1956, locals could safely observe the power of nature.

Sandbags to stop the flood in the capital
Source: Wiki Commons

People observing the flood in Budapest
Source: Wiki Commons

Due to the technological developments, videos of better quality could record the flood.

Sudden rainfalls of 2017

Of course, the sudden rainfalls of this year have nothing to do with either the Danube or River Tisza. They were not floods in the original term of the word, but they have caused similar circumstances. Due to these sudden rainfalls, water appeared on the streets of several Hungarian towns, and its level raised high in no time. One of these cases can be seen in the video below shot on May 23 in Budapest.

https://www.facebook.com/karoly.sinka.5/videos/1452501198142733/

Group of Hungarians made Russian oligarch’s London property into homeless shelter – VIDEO

444.hu reported that a group of Hungarian youngsters were arrested, who occupied a Russian oligarch’s, Andrey Goncharenko’s empty London property, and made it into a homeless shelter. But what is the whole story behind?

The flag of the Autonomous Nation of Anarchist Libertarians (source: Youtube.com)

The youngsters, who call themselves Autonomous Nation of Anarchist Libertarians, told that they climbed into the building through the open windows and they sheltered 25 homeless there who had been sleeping around the Victoria railway station. According to Tom Fox, member of the group, it was a crime to let so many people sleep in the streets while many buildings were standing empty. 444.hu reported in a previous article that there might be around 200,000 buildings standing empty at least for half a year.

Andrey Goncharenko’s mason (source: Youtube.com)

The youngsters installed a projector, so that they could organise movie nights, they were collecting portable cookers to prepare food for the homeless, and they even opened a free shop to cloth them. One of the homeless people sleeping with her daughter at the Victoria station told The Guardian that they were delighted to have been offered a shelter in the building, because Westminster’s council was planning to send the homeless out of the capital, so there was not much provision for them.

The interior after the occupation. source: Youtube.com

When Goncharenko found out what was going on in his mason, he sought a possession order in the court via the representation of a company based in Gibraltar.

The property was built by the Goncharenko family and has been the home of the Spanish cultural centre Instituto Cervantes up to now. Goncharenko has purchased many masons in the recent three years, including Hanover Lodge, in Regent’s Park for £120m.

Police arriving at the property (source: Youtube.com)

But who is Andrey Goncharenko? He is said to be the chief executive of a subsidiary of Gazprom, one of the largest gas companies. According to a gossip, as The Guardian wrote, in 2011, he hosted a lavish party in South France which is said to be the favourite destination of the wealthiest of Moscow.

444.hu also notes that this was not the first action of Autonomous Nation of Anarchist Libertarians, and it has not been the last one, either. They are now about to occupy a property of £25m, once belonging to Augustus Pitt Rivers archaeologist.

How the occupants see the situation?

Photos and video: Youtube.com

Copy editor: bm