Hadhazy told the event that the demonstration had fulfilled its goal because police had allowed the participants to occupy "only" a part of Ferenciek Square, yet a group of protesters blocked the road leading up to Elisabeth Bridge and held up traffic for two hours.

He called for resistance against the government, and said that in addition to the withdrawal of the amendment passed last week, they also wanted to prevent future measures that could restrict the activities of the opposition.

Hadhazy said the amendment to the assembly law was not just about the Pride march, but about the government "using every means it can to prevent demonstrations it doesn’t like, because it feels its support slipping".

He said a series of protests would continue next week.

Krisztina Baranyi, the mayor of the 9th district, said that though the most important goal was to replace the government, this did not mean that they should seek a compromise.

German MEP Daniel Freund accused the government of having appropriated 14 billion euros in European Union funds.

Momentum deputy leader Lajos Locsei talked about protecting minorities, saying it was "a disadvantage" to be a Roma in Hungary today. He called for "ending segregation".

Though the demonstration had been advertised as a non-partisan event, several protesters carried the flags of opposition Momentum and the Democratic Coalition (DK).

Several opposition politicians were present in the crowd, including DK’s Laszlo Varju and independent MP Antal Csardi.

The demonstration at Ferenciek Square was still ongoing when a group of protesters marched over to the Pest bridgehead of Liberty Bridge, blocking traffic there.

Police lined up to block the crowd near the Buda bridgehead.

The protesters then split into two groups, with one group going back to Elisabeth Bridge and the other moving farther south to Petofi Bridge. Police lined up to block both groups at the Buda bridgeheads.

Two detained at Tuesday Budapest protest

The metropolitan police (BRFK) detained two people who took part in the protest in downtown Budapest on Tuesday evening, police.hu reported.

The authorities had approved two demonstrations under the law on the right of assembly, police said in a statement on Wednesday.

After the protest officially ended, participants proceeded to block traffic on Liberty, Petofi, Elisabeth and Margaret Bridge, they added.

Police asked for identification from 289 people, filed reports for traffic violations against 18 people and detained two individuals for refusing to provide ID and another for a continued traffic violation.

One man swam into the Danube and had to be resuscitated after he was pulled from the water, police said.

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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