Györgyey described the march as non-partisan, but said it was political because it was about “standing up for the independence of science”.

“Science questions things, experiments, proves things, puts forward arguments and ponders things,” he said. “It aims to arrive at conclusions by adhering to its own set of rules,” Györgyey said.

He said science was not democracy, but was still democratic, arguing that everybody had a right to education and to immerse themselves in science.

“Whether or not they are given a chance by society is a different question, but the scientific community does not exclude anyone from practising, enriching or questioning science,” he said.

The plant biologist said science was not democracy in the sense that its truths are not decided by majority votes.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Koszticsák Szilárd