A demonstration was held in Budapest’s Heroes Square on Wednesday afternoon in protest against a bill concerning civil organisations, which they view as stigmatising some of those groups.
The protest was organised by the Civilizáció group and supported by about 100 others including Amnesty International, the Eötvös Károly Institute, Greenpeace Hungary, Háttér, the Krétakör Foundation, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Ökotárs, Transparency International and TASZ. According to the protesters, the bill, aimed at the registration of civil organisations using foreign donations, would curb the freedom of thought and hinder the operations of civil society.
Protesters held up signs reading “We are civilians, Hungarian, and free” as well as “I stand with CEU” in reference to Budapest’s Central European University, seen as impacted by a recent higher education law amendment.
The protesters held up a huge “CIVIL” sign in the square and formed a heart around it “to symbolise society’s support.
After the demonstration at the Heroes’ Square the mass marched to the Nyugati Railway Station and then they reached the Oktogon where they started laagered and started a demonstrating camping. They hold up the traffic here, until the bigger part of the protesters started their walk to the Astoria and then to Deák Ferenc tér.
The other half of the protestors stayed at the Oktogon, for a while.
In the end, the “moving blockade” as they named themselves, reunioned at the Parliament. Demonstrations were also held in Miskolc and Szeged.
via: hvg.hu; 444.hu; hungarymatters.hu
photos: 444.hu; MTI / János Marjai, Zoltán Balog
