Liget Budapest

Budapest assembly: Opposition parties slam local authority on metro 3, Római levee

Opposition Budapest assembly representatives have highlighted the risks involved in a plan to build a mobile levee on the Danube in northern Budapest. They also objected to the method of financing the project to revamp the city’s crumbling third metro line.

Opposition parties and civil groups have long campaigned against plans to build a mobile flood levee on the Római embankment, which environmentalists say would harm the local ecology.

Green opposition LMP’s Antal Csárdi told a news conference ahead of today’s assembly meeting that the flood protection plans were “shockingly risky”. He said he would propose postponing the decision in order “to protect lives and property as much as the trees”.

Csaba Horváth of the Socialists proposed holding a local referendum on the levee.

Dialogue’s Gergely Karácsony said that the levee proposal before the assembly “badly underestimates” the number of trees to be felled. Further, the method of flood protection right on the riverbank “is far more risky” than other methods, he added.

Concerning relations between the central government and the metropolitan council, Jobbik representative Marcell Tokody said that the government “has given up on Budapest and is preparing to make the next city administration’s work as difficult as possible” while keeping the city dependent on it financially.

Meanwhile, the Socialists said they would propose moving the Liget Project to the brown field site behind Nyugati railway station to preserve the City Park, Horváth said.

Horváth also called on Mayor István Tarlós to account for the source of funding for the metro line 3 renovation, saying that the city should request government funding in light of the fact that Budapest residents contribute billions of forints to the state’s coffers. Horváth said the recent announcement to sell the metropolitan authority’s “Bálna” high-end shopping centre in order to contribute financing to the metro project “shows incompetence”.

The assembly voted to build the levee along the Danube embankment and instructed Tarlós to arrange for the launch of the necessary licensing procedures. Tarlos said some 5 or 6 professional opinions have already been sought regarding the project. He said “there is no time to wait”, and a solution was needed as soon as possible. Even the civil campaigners are divided about what they want, Tarlós said, adding that the mobile levee had opponents but also supporters.

According to the latest proposal voted for by assembly, the number of trees that need to be felled to accommodate the levee has been reduced to 480, including 40 that were diseased. A total of 78 trees in the area affected are suitable to be moved, the report said. The levee will be a total of 8,169 metres long and along some stretches a half-metre tall concrete wall will be built. Several playgrounds and rest areas will be built along the embankment and the design of catering units — the site is a popular place for eating out — will be streamlined.

Photo: MTI

June 14, 2017

Ethnography museum construction in City Park to start this year

Construction of a new building to house the collections of Budapest’s Museum of Ethnography will start in the City Park as part of the Liget Project in the second half of this year, the project’s ministerial commissioner told parliament’s cultural committee on Wednesday.

László Baán said that the total project, including construction of several other museums and total rehabilitation of the park, will be completed in 2019-2020, at a cost of 220 billion forints (EUR 713m).

Referring to concerns around felled trees and construction in the popular public park, Baan said that “the green area will grow calculated by any methodology” and insisted that “one third of the park is now covered with concrete”. He added that the park’s neglected vegetation would also be renewed.

Concerning details of the project, Baán mentioned that the renewed Transport Museum building at the eastern edge of the park would become the House of Hungarian Innovation, while the Transport Museum will be moved to another location. The City Park Theatre, destroyed in 1952, will be reconstructed as a children’s theatre according to the original design, while the House of Hungarian Music – Bartók Centre, designed by Fujimoto Sou will replace the Hungexpo office buildings just outside the park. The new National Gallery will replace the recently pulled down Petőfi Csarnok, following designs by Japan’s SANAA, he said.

Baán also said that the Museum of Fine Arts, on nearby Heroes’ Square and of which he is director, will have been renewed by the end of the year.

Photo: ligetbudapest.hu

June 7, 2017

Police remove protesters against Liget Project

Budapest (MTI) – The police have put an end to an ongoing protest against a major construction project in Budapest’s City Park.

The police confirmed to MTI on Friday that they had had the protesters’ tents removed, and “restored order” at the project site. Three people disturbing construction work have been prosecuted for rowdy behaviour, while two others have been reported for misdemeanour, the police said on its website.

Environmentalists have been protesting against the Liget Project, a scheme of building a new museum complex, which they see as a harmful transformation of the popular public park next to Heroes’ Square.

Photo: MTI

May 20, 2017

17th FINA World Championships in Budapest: Synchronised swimming to be held on the City Park Lake

Index.hu writes that the visuals of the mobile pools and stands for the events held in the City Park have been released. We knew that the organisers were planning to have some events on the City Park Lake, but no one could really imagine how it would look like. Well, it turned out that the visuals are available on the website.

“Finally there will be more green areas in the City Park” as the members of a City Park protector Facebook group write satiristically. And they are right, the bottom of the pools designed for the lake is definitely green on the following visual.

It turns out from the attached text that the stands will be able to fit 5000 spectators. They summarise the story of the lake and the ice-rink, and then get down to the matter: “Even though the ice-rink has been the home of many winter sport events, it will show a new side of her at the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships. The new challenge is posed by the organising of synchronised swimming events, which come hand in hand with the performance of two mobile pools. The unique premier might even be the start of a new tradition because of the given from the picturesque environment, the monuments of Heroes’ Square, the Vajdahunyad Castle and the Műcsarnok (Art Gallery).”

Unfortunately, they don’t write whether or not the pools will float on the water (not likely) or stand in the lake (likely), and whether or not there will be water in the lake during the period (probably not). Nevertheless, there were people who wondered how the structure would take the rampage or the simple movement of spectators if it was to be floating on the lake. Others wondered if the old concrete bed could take the pressure of a higher water-spout if the structure was to be built on the underlay.

We don’t know the answers to these questions, but Index has a reasonable point: how will 5000 people get in and out the venue quickly, without a hitch? Nonetheless, this amount of people wouldn’t be much more than what the museums will attract. So the idea might even work if it’s well thought out.

Photos: www.fina-budapest2017.com

ce: bm

March 4, 2017

Civil organisations demonstrate to protect Budapest trees

Budapest (MTI) – Several civil organisations held a joint demonstration on Saturday to protest against the cutting of trees as part of Budapest development projects in the City Park, the Orczy Garden and the Római embankment.

Budapest’s City Park was the first planned public city park in the world, head of the Town Protection Association for Budapest Mihály Ráday told the event from a stage set up in Heroes Square. Who would think of erecting new buildings in London’s Hyde Park or Paris’ Jardin du Luxembourg and Bois de Boulogne, he said referring to the Liget Project which would relocate several museums to the City Park.

Head of the CivilZuglo Association Lászlo Várnai demanded that “megalomaniac” construction plans should be stopped. He said Budapest should replace 3,000 missing trees and develop old industrial zones.

A symbolic “Golden chainsaw award” was granted to rector of the National University of Public Service András Patyi for being responsible for the cutting of 200 trees in Orczy Park according to the head of the association.

The participants were holding a sign showing the words “We will protect Budapest trees” and marched from Erzsébet Square on Andrássy Avenue to Heroes Square. When the front of the march arrived in the square the end was at Munkácsy Mihály Street.

Photos: MTI

September 26, 2016

Persányi appointed commissioner for Liget project landscaping

Budapest, August 9 (MTI) – Miklós Persányi, the head of Budapest Zoo, has been appointed ministerial commissioner in charge of the ongoing City Park (Liget) development project’s landscaping investments, the minister of human resources said on Tuesday.

Addressing celebrations on the 150th anniversary of the zoo, Zoltán Balog said the government and Budapest Mayor István Tarlós have agreed that the controversial Liget project needs a commissioner for coordinating landscaping and gardening investments independently.

“Persányi’s professional past is a guarantee that this work will be completed to the highest standard,” Balog said.

Persányi was member of three Socialist governments, he was the Minister of Environment and Water Management between 2003 and 2007.

A law passed by Hungarian parliament in 2013 declares the Liget project, which involves building a new museum complex in City Park next to Heroes’ Square, a priority state project. But environmentalists have been protesting for months against the project they fear would ruin the popular public park.

August 10, 2016

Asbestos found in City Park harmless, says constructor

Budapest, July 27 (MTI) – The asbestos found during recent demolition works in Budapest City Park “does not pose hazard to people living nearby or to visitors of the park”, the company in charge of the contested Liget Project, a scheme under which a museum complex is planned to be built in the park, said on Wednesday.

Városliget Zrt. said in a statement that the material was identified as harmless asbestos cement, rather than fibrous asbestos, which would pose a hazard.

The statement referred to analyses by independent experts, and said that the debris containing asbestos cement was being handled in line with all relevant regulations.

Authors of the statement insisted that fibrous asbestos, which is considered highly carcinogenic, was not found in the area.

July 28, 2016

Budapest prosecution to gather further info over incident in City Park

Budapest, July 21 (MTI) – The Budapest prosecutor’s office will gather further information concerning a private complaint over a recent incident in connection with the contested Liget project in City Park, Bettina Bagoly, a spokeswoman for the authority, said on Thursday.

The complaint was submitted to the national police headquarters ORFK by individuals over their disturbance at the site by unknown perpetrators during the night on July 17, according to a statement released by the national police on Tuesday.

Police submitted records in connection with the case to the Budapest prosecution as suspicion of involvement of off-duty police officers has been raised, said ORFK.

Speaking to commercial television channel RTL Klub on Monday, a woman said that her daughter sleeping in a tent in the park had been kicked twice in the kidney by an unknown person.

She told later news portal index.hu that as an unknown person kicked the tent during the night she shouted that there was a girl sleeping inside. The perpetrator then delivered another kick shouting that “this is how the Liget must be protected!” the woman added. The daughter has not suffered any serious injuries, the portal said, citing a hospital report.

Environmentalists have been protesting for months against the project which they fear would ruin the popular public park.

Photo: MTI

July 21, 2016

Plenary on contested Liget project abandoned – UPDATE

Budapest, July 20 (MTI) – The plenary session of parliament initiated by the opposition to debate the contested Liget project has been abandoned for lack of a quorum.

Wednesday’s session was convened by the parliamentary speaker to debate the initiative of the co-leader of the Dialogue for Hungary party, Tímea Szabó, who wants the law that green-lighted the contested Liget project in City Park to be scrapped. Her initiative was supported by deputies of the opposition Socialist Party, LMP and Jobbik parties, as well as by independent lawmakers.

The law which parliament passed in 2013 declares the Liget project, which involves building a new museum complex in City Park next to Heroes’ Square, a priority state project.

Environmentalists have been protesting for months against the project they fear would ruin the popular public park.

The session began with addresses by lawmakers, but for a vote to be passed on the motion the presence of at least half of the assembly’s members would have been required.

UPDATE

Lajos Kósa, the ruling Fidesz party’s group leader, branded the plenary as “an unserious bluff”, since Szabó herself and many of supporting deputies had boycotted it. He derided the exercise as a silly-season PR stunt. Kósa told a press conference that for the motion to be debated the sponsor should be present.

fidesz-parliament — Lajos Kósa, parliamentary leader of ruling Fidesz

Szabó said she would resubmit a motion to hold a session by the early autumn. She insisted that the parliamentary speaker should have chosen a day when ruling party MPs were present. Last week, Kósa said only a single member of Fidesz’s parliamentary group would turn up since he “does not want to assist the opposition’s charade”.

Meanwhile, Szabó said demolition work in City Park has released carcinogenic asbestos powder into the environment. The park’s lake has also been “contaminated”, she said.

A lawmaker of Jobbik said the failure of Wednesday’s session was proof that the governing parties were totally neglecting opposition initiatives.

“The governing parties have now said ‘no’ to finding a solution to the Liget project that would serve the interest of every resident,” Lajos Kepli told reporters.

Commenting on Wednesday’s session, a representative of green opposition LMP, said today’s events proved that Fidesz was uninterested in a public discussion of affairs. Instead of trying to find a solution to issues, the ruling party wants to force its own will onto Budapest, Antal Csárdi, the party’s representative in the City Council, said.

The Socialist Party’s Budapest chapter chief, Ágnes Kunhalmi, insisted every sign of a dictatorial state apparatus was apparent in the City Park, and the representation of the interests of the government in the project was “naked to the eye”. The aggression experienced in the park, she told a news conference, demonstrated that Fidesz is afraid for its powers. She said the case of the City Park went beyond the fate of a park and spoke of “a weak municipal leadership and an even weaker, but more violent government policy”.

Gergely Csák, spokesman of the Ligetvedok (park defence) NGO, said that Fidesz refused to listen to the wishes of the country not to have concrete in the City Park. He told a press conference in front of Parliament that the issue of protecting the park was not just a local one but the whole country was preoccupied with the matter.

Budapest, 2016. július 20. Csák Gergely, a Ligetvédõk nevû civil mozgalom aktivistája sajtótájékoztatót tart Üzenjünk a Fidesznek: hallgassák meg a magyar emberek hangját! címmel az Országház elõtt 2016. július 20-án. MTI Fotó: Balogh Zoltán — MTI Photo: Zoltán Balogh

Photo: MTI

July 20, 2016

House speaker calls plenary session over Liget project for July 20

Budapest, July 15 (MTI) – The house speaker has convened a plenary session of parliament for next Wednesday at an opposition sponsored initiative over the contested Liget project in Budapest.

László Kövér has called the session in line with the law as an initiative submitted by the co-leader of the Dialogue for Hungary (PM) party last week has garnered the support of one-fifth of lawmakers, Lajos Kósa, the group leader of ruling Fidesz, told a press conference on Friday.

The initiative was supported by deputies of the Socialist Party, green LMP and radical nationalist Jobbik, Kósa said.

In her initiative, PM co-leader Tímea Szabó called for scrapping the law that gave the green light to the contested Liget project in City Park.

The law passed by parliament in 2013 declares the Liget project, which involves building a new museum complex in City Park next to Heroes’ Square, a priority state project.

Environmentalists have been protesting for months against what they fear would be a harmful transformation of the popular public park.

Kósa said that Fidesz would be represented at the July 20 session by only one of its parliamentary group members as the party “does not want to assist with the opposition’s charade.”

He argued that there had not been any new circumstances that would require scrapping the 2013 law.

Photo: MTI

July 15, 2016

Liget project vows to save some trees after protests

Budapest, July 14 (MTI) – The Liget project, a reconstruction of the City Park, will heed to protesters demands and leave all healthy trees in the park untouched, the technical director of project manager Városliget Zrt, told free-distribution daily Lokál on Thursday.

The project affects about 150-200 trees out of altogether 7,000 found in the park, Attila Sághi said. Most of these trees are neither old nor valuable and were planned to be chopped down, but now in response to heavy protests the company has decided to re-plant the trees instead. A public procurement tender will be called for this service within days, he added. The decision not to fell these trees will “cost more money and time” and is professionally not well justified, but if protesters insist, they will hear them out, Sághi said.

On the dispute over changes to greenery in the park, Sághi repeated earlier statements that “top category” green areas, which means no structure can come between the soil and the green surface, will increase from 57.1 percent to 61 percent after the construction.

As regards complaints about violence security guards used against protesters last week, Sághi said he considered the “degree of security at the project site unnecessary,” but the “quality” of protests had made tight security required. He said there were mistakes committed by the guards, but “fundamentally they were not in breach of the laws”.

The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called for an investigation of the actions of security guards in Budapest’s City Park at protests last week. Last Wednesday, police removed activists from the Hungexpo site, where they had been camped for over a 110 days in protest against the planned works, including chopping down trees. Police started procedures against 63 activists and made 12 arrests.

A survey by pollster Ipsos has revealed that 69 percent of City Park visitors agreed that new modern buildings could be constructed in the park, as long as greenery is increased at the same time. The survey also showed that only 71 percent of Budapesters had heard of the Liget Project which was launched five years ago. Presenting the survey’s results at a press conference on Thursday, ministerial commissioner Lászlo Baán said its lessons were that better communication of the project was necessary.

Ligetvedok (Park Protectors) said in a statement that Városliget Zrt’s promise to leave healthy trees in the park was “nothing but a bluff”. The organisation said that the fact that only healthy trees will be spared means that “some experts will take good money and use their conviction to declare a lot of trees unhealthy”. Replanting, especially in the summer, “most certainly means the death of a tree”, the statement added.

The opposition Dialogue for Hungary (PM) party urged the introduction of photo IDs for all security guards operating in the city. Rebeka Szabó, the party’s official, told a press conference on Thursday that protesters against the Liget Project were subject to several unlawful measures by “bald headed thugs who acted as security guards”. She also called on police to screen security companies and make sure that they cannot employ “thugs, many of whom have police records for football hooliganism.”

Photo: MTI

July 14, 2016

DK calls on interior minister to probe security guard actions in City Park

Budapest, July 11 (MTI) – The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) on Monday called on Interior Minister Sandor Pinter to investigate the actions of security guards in Budapest’s City Park. DK accuses the guards of “acting above the law”.

Deputy party leader Ágnes Vadai said that in recent months, “groups of young skinheads” had appeared every time the interests of ruling Fidesz or the government had to be protected. Skinheads earlier this year prevented the opposition Socialists from submitting a referendum initiative against Sunday shopping restrictions, she noted, adding that last week, skinheads beat up people who had been peacefully demonstrating against the Liget Project in the City Park.

Police have not taken action against them despite recent reports that security guards had even used gas spray against the police, she said.

Vadai, who sits in parliament as an independent, asked Pinter whether any high-ranking Fidesz politicians had instructed the police not to take action against the “skinhead goons”.

Demolition works started in the City Park in the face of protests by environmentalists last week, after the company responsible for new building developments in the park, Városliget Zrt, said that the area occupied by activists protesting against the Liget Budapest project was now legally under its control.

Last Wednesday, police removed activists from the Hungexpo site, where they had been camped for over a hundred days in protest against the planned works, including chopping down trees .

Photo: MTI

July 11, 2016

Parliament’s committee addresses Liget project with opposition lawmakers

Budapest, July 8 (MTI) – Parliament’s sustainable development committee on Friday held a hearing on the Liget project, called together by the committee’s head Benedek Sallai R., who is a delegate of the opposition LMP party.

The committee was not in quorum as governing-party members stayed away. Sallai said the developments around the Liget project have got to the stage where they were no longer of local importance only, but should be treated as a national issue, since the protection of green spaces affects the lives of nearly two million Budapest residents.

He said the Liget project involves the felling of 600-800 trees while another project, the reconstruction of Orczy park, will involve the chopping down of an additional 130. He mentioned several other government projects where trees had been cut down this year: 24 trees were lost to the underground car park construction on József Nádor square, 200 trees at the Kossuth square reconstruction and all the trees on Széll Kálmán square. The upgrade of the Dagály spa means 100 trees are threatened there, he said.

Sallai said the committee meeting can continue as an “informal summit on the Liget project” and activists of Greenpeace Hungary, Levegő (Air) working group, Védegylet (Protect the Future) and Ligetvédők (Park Protectors) as well as opposition politicans shared their views.

Anita Heringes, a lawmaker for the opposition Socialists, said the ruling parties want to push their will onto Budapesters instead of consulting, which is apparent from the fact that they stay away from the meeting.

Lajos Kepli, a lawmaker for Jobbik, said the Liget project is just one of many signs that the government has been “systematically toning down environmental issues and organisations” since 2010.

Gergely Karácsony, mayor of the district where the City Park is located and a lawmaker for opposition Dialogue for Hungary (PM), said there had been no genuine consultations over the project, but there is a document from 2012 which clearly states that no new buildings can be erected in the park. He cited another document, the Budapest 2030 strategy, which states that the Varosliget must remain a public park and that tourist sights must be scattered around the whole city.

Gergely Csák, the spokesman for the Ligetvédők group, said the activists in City Park had been removed from the site where they had held permission to protests by force. He said no other tool is left for protecting the trees but civil disobedience.

At the end of the meeting Sallai said he would look into possibilities of a procedure to get local protection for the park under an amendment of the environmental act and would coordinate with local Fidesz on the possibility of another committee meeting on this subject.

Earlier in the day the ministerial commissioner for the Liget project László Baán told a press conference that the company responsible for building developments in the City Park, Városliget Zrt, has organised a forum to hear opinions on the project. Baán said “naturally, some opinions will not be considered.” Breaking the law and occupying a building site are unacceptable, he said, adding that violence would not be condoned either.

July 8, 2016

Protesters to get a fair hearing on City Park project, says govt commissioner

Budapest, July 8 (MTI) – The company responsible for building developments in Budapest’s City Park, Városliget Zrt, has organised a forum to hear opinions on the Liget project under way, the ministerial commissioner for the project said on Friday.

László Baán told a press conference that the opportunity to voice an opinion had been available for five years. He insisted that the Liget project was one of the most debated government projects ever. He said the forum would provide an opportunity to share proposals and opinions.

“Naturally, some opinions will not be considered,” he said. Breaking the law and occupying a building site are unacceptable, he said, adding that violence would not be condoned either.

Police removed activists on Wednesday morning from the Hungexpo site, where they had been camped for over a hundred days in protest of the works planned. A demonstration was held in the evening at the site. Police started procedures against 63 activists and made 12 arrests. A 21-year-old French national was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and expelled from Hungary for two years for “kicking an officer in the mouth”, according to a report by the municipal prosecutor.

The project’s 15 billion forint (EUR 47.6m) budget is Hungary’s biggest ever for revamping a public park, Baán said, adding that greenery in the park would expand from the current 57 percent to 65 percent.

Only 2 percent of 6,500 trees will be affected; the majority will be replanted and only “sick or invasive” trees will be felled, he said. Trees that are to be chopped down will be “generously” compensated for by planting new trees, he added.

Demolition of the Transport Museum building and the Hungexpo building have already started and the Petőfi hall will come down at the end of the year. The project is slated to finish by 2020, with the new museum buildings to be ready by 2019, Baán said.

Photo: MTI

July 8, 2016

Protest held at City Park

Budapest, July 6 (MTI) – Hundreds of people protested against a construction project planned at Budapest’s City Park (Városliget) on Wednesday evening, after police removed activists from the site to begin works earlier in the day.

The demonstration organised on social media sites was addressed by András Lukács, head of the environmental Levegő Munkacsoport (Air Working Group), who noted that according to a survey commissioned recently by Greenpeace 86 percent of Budapesters oppose the Liget Project in its current form. A survey taken in January had shown 75 percent opposing the project, which involves the creation of a museum quarter, he said.

The government’s asset manager in charge of the project, Városliget Zrt, had since then spent 300 million forints on a communication campaign to promote the Liget Project, but “achieved the opposite result”.

Klára Garay, a spokesperson for the Ligetvedők group (Park Protectors) said activists will stay on site “until the rule of law returns”.

Protesters said police had detained three people in the area behind the fences. The three people have been let go. The protesters are staying on site to voice disagreement with the police action.

Photo: MTI

July 7, 2016

Liget Budapest – Demolition works start in City Park – Photos – UPDATE

Budapest, June 6 (MTI) – Demolition works have started in Budapest’s City Park in the face of protests by environmentalists.

The company responsible for new building developments in the park, Városliget Zrt, said in a statement on Wednesday that the area occupied by activists protesting against the Liget Budapest project was now legally under its control.

Work has now started to demolish old Hungexpo office buildings after the authorities started to empty the area on Wednesday morning, the company said.

“As is known, there are protesters currently staying next to the ruins, blocking the legal works from being carried out, in spite of the legal demolition permit in the possession of Varosliget Zrt. Staying at the site is hazardous and a danger to life,” the statement said.

The Facebook group of activists said in a posting on Wednesday that several hundred police had appeared in the park and forced most of them out. Several activists have blocked themselves in, they added.

MTI’s on-site correspondent said the area has been almost completely cleared of protesters. Around thirty activists were seen sitting on the ground in front of the fence surrounding the construction site, protesting peacefully.

The Budapest police department said on its website that twenty-three activists had left the area willingly after authorities had instructed them to do so while twelve protesters had to be led out by police. No arrests were made but police said they would file misdemeanor reports against twelve people.

UPDATE

The ruling Fidesz party derided the “hysterical” protests in City Park called on “the opposition and activists” to stop spreading “fake news” over the Liget project. Had it been up to the left wing, Budapest would not have seen any upgrades or developments at all over the past years, Fidesz said. “They [the left] let City Park and the capital’s other natural and architectural treasures deteriorate during their tenure in government,” the statement said. Fidesz said that the project would make City Park “greener” and turn it into Budapest’s most beautiful park.

The green opposition LMP party expressed support for the protesters at the construction site, saying the party would use civil disobedience to thwart the project. Budapest councillor Antal Csárdi told MTI that it was unacceptable that City Park had been “taken over”, based on a document handing legal control over the area to Városliget Zrt. He said four-fifths of Budapest residents disapproved of the Liget project, which he said if completed, would “ruin” the capital for future generations as well.

Earlier Benedek R Sallai, the opposition LMP lawmaker who heads parliament’s sustainable development committee, said Budapest residents objected to plans to chop down hundreds of trees to make way for the buildings of a planned museum quarter in the City Park. A special committee session will take place on Friday to discuss the matter, giving representatives of the government, the Budapest municipal council, the construction company and civil groups a platform to state their positions. Sallai called on the government to “stop cutting down trees” and “speak out against the abuse of residents who want to express their opinion”.

UPDATE 2.

The Budapest police department said on its website that twenty-three activists had left the area willingly after authorities had instructed them to do so while twelve protesters had to be led out by police. They said they would file misdemeanor reports against twelve people. Later on the police said that three people had been detained, one for allegedly attacking a policeman.

Radical nationalist Jobbik called on national and municipal leaders not to neglect local residents’ disapproval of the project. Jobbik MP Lajos Kepli said in a statement that “only a handful of entrepreneurs close to the government” would benefit from the Liget project, while hundreds of thousands of locals would suffer.

A municipal representative of the leftist Democratic Coalition (DK) referred to a recent survey and said that most residents rejected plans to erect buildings in the popular park. The government and Budapest Mayor István Tarlos would still “force onto Budapest plans to replace the little remaining green areas in the city with concrete”, Erzsébet Gy. Németh said. She demanded that Tarlos face the protesters and tell them that “he serves not Budapest but Fidesz”.

Photo: MTI

July 6, 2016

Probe called into City Park construction violence

Budapest, July 2 (MTI) – Városliget Zrt, the company responsible for overseeing the reconstruction of the Transport Museum in Budapest City Park, has called for an investigation into violence against a demonstrator at the site of the museum on Friday.

László Baán, the government commissioner for the Liget Budapest project, which involves the construction of several new buildings in the park, said late on Friday that one of the protesters climbing onto the roof of the building has been hurt, as seen on a video made public online. Dávid Vitézy, the director of the Transport Museum, said in a statement that he condemns the violence and wants a probe into what happened at the construction site on Friday.

Environmentalists have been protesting against changes planned in the City Park for months. Budapest police removed 33 activists from the construction site where a sit-in was organised on Tuesday. Protesters had broken through a fence which they claimed had been erected unlawfully by the security guards on duty at the construction site and occupied the building. One person was taken into custody.

Photo: MTI

July 2, 2016

Weekly government press briefing – Hungary to remain Britain’s strategic ally

Budapest, June 30 (MTI) – Hungary aims to remain a strategic ally of Britain, a “strong western power”, government office chief János Lázár told a regular press briefing in Budapest on Thursday.

He announced that the government would set up a working group to handle the consequences of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.

Hungary has a vested interest in maintaining economic and political cooperation with Britain, and will take steps to help the success of negotiations about the terms of Britain’s exit and the new conditions of future cooperation, he said.

Lázár stressed the need to protect the rights and interests of the hundreds of thousands of Hungarians working in Britain. He called for strengthening the Visegrad Four cooperation in a way that the interests of Hungarians in Britain be represented more effectively.

The government office chief said Hungary’s national referendum to be held in the autumn on the EU’s mandatory quota plan cannot be regarded as a vote against the European Union. Rather, it will provide an excellent example for consulting the public on a matter of key importance, he said.

If Hungarians are not asked about migration, one cannot “credibly represent” the position that it is a fundamental right of each country to decide who can stay on its territory, he said.

Lázár said that migration had contributed to the British Leave vote. It may undermine the European Union if its members are not allowed to freely decide whether or not they want immigration, he added.

Lázár voiced sharp criticism of financier George Soros, whom he said “directly interfered” and would promote massive immigration through “anti-Hungarian proposals” and cutting EU funds to the country. Under Soros’s proposals a tax should be levied on Hungarian people to support immigrants in Europe, Lázár insisted. He added that those proposals, if implemented, would cost Europe 30 billion euros.

He said he has convened five-party talks over the EU’s planned free trade agreement with Canada.

He called it a “rather surprising turn” that European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker would require approval of CETA solely on a European level.

Hungary’s parliament approved a decree stating that it wants a vote on the matter on a national level, Lázár noted, adding that he seeks reinforcement of this position by the country’s parliamentary parties.

Liget Project

On another subject, Lázár said that the government considers the Liget Project, a scheme to build a museum complex in Budapest’s City Park, a “closed issue”. The government has considered all arguments for and against the plan and will go ahead with it to complete the project by 2018-19, he said.

Lázár voiced incomprehension over protests against the project and suggested that the movement to thwart the scheme was politically motivated. He insisted that the park’s “green surface” will increase once the new complex is built. He added that the consruction site will be fenced off, but protests outside the area will not be obstructed.

Change in the government

Lázár also announced that he would withdraw cultural state secretary László L Simon from his post because he was “not satisfied” with L Simon’s performance.

To a question about reports that Flórián Farkas, the prime minister’s commissioner for Roma integration, had failed to turn up at a hearing by the European anti-fraud authority (OLAF), Lázár said he did not know why Farkas had stayed away but urged him to answer the call.

Photo: MTI

June 30, 2016