Hadhazy said he expected that "those in power" would not issue "further tough measures" until the elections next April, unless "their numbers are also showing that they are in trouble."

He said "it should be taken seriously that they tried to squeeze me off the road" in Hatvanpuszta, in central Hungary. The transparency law is also still on parliament's agenda, he added.

Demonstrators have been successful, "they proved wrong those who think Hungarians are unwilling to demonstrate for their freedom. They showed what the Pride was really about, that banning it was an infringement on the right to assembly as well as harming the rights of our gay compatriots. They also made sure that the spring cleaning announced by the prime minister did not happen, and that those in power have lost a little confidence," he said.

He pledged to continue the demonstrations on Ferenciek Square in two weeks' time, to hold "visits to Hatvanpuszta" and a demonstration in Dunaujvaros, central Hungary, next Tuesday.

Law professor Zoltan Fleck, theologist Rita Perintfalvi, teacher Edit Simko and Poland-based activist Kata Vida also held speeches.

After the demonstration, the crowd walked to Pollack Mihaly Square, to a construction that Hadhazy said "tread rough-shod over construction regulations."

The crowd there met a demonstration held by an NGO for a greener downtown area, and was received by Andras Piko, the mayor of the 8th district of Budapest.

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony held a speech, and thanked participants for standing up for Budapest dwellers and Hungarian citizens.

Referring to the demolition of the erstwhile headquarters of the Hungarian Radio, he said the government was using the city as a "sandbox".

Karacsony said he was "rooting for change ... we need a government that will restore local self-government."

 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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