A demonstration was organized in Budapest last night “for a free public life, the development of society according to the Western model and the salvation of Hungary“, organized by the publicist Robert Pusser, reported the Hungarian MTI agency, quoted by BTA.
Pusser said that the government is trying to exhaust society. After 15 years “it is time to cure ourselves of the disease called illiberalism... not because we are liberals, but because this regime is bringing back feudalism“.
About 15,000 protesters filled a square in the Hungarian capital, the Associated Press noted. Organizers called the protest the beginning of a resistance movement against the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Nearly two dozen public figures, including writers, actors, musicians and journalists, joined the demonstration in Budapest. Most of the speakers criticized what they saw as increasingly anti-democratic behavior by the government. Some alleged corruption, benefiting individuals affiliated with Orban's Fidesz party.
It was the latest anti-government protest after Orban's party passed a law in March and a constitutional amendment the following month that effectively banned public demonstrations by the LGBT community.
With national elections in 2026 approaching, and Orban's party is trailing in most polls by a new opposition challenger, the Hungarian leader's critics say he has resorted to more authoritarian tactics to silence his critics.