On Wednesday, mainly young people demonstrated in Budapest against the planned status law for teachers.
Among others, the participants of the demonstration organized by the United Student Front gathered at the Szent István Basilica yesterday afternoon and then marched to Alkotmány street. Several people waved Hungarian and checkered flags. Some held the molino of the Democratic Trade Union of Teachers (PDSZ).
Among other things, the crowd chanted: “No teachers, no future!”, “Free country, free education!” and “A strike is a fundamental right!”
In Alkotmány street, near the Parliament, student speakers reminded that the police had recently used tear gas against them, against young people aged 16-18. A “weekly referendum” was announced: the participants were expected to answer questions such as whether there should be democracy and whether the minister of the interior should resign. At the end of the speeches, the organizers announced that the event was over, but they also announced a new one: the demonstrators marched across the Margaret Bridge to Ádám Clark Square, where more speeches followed early in the evening, and the issue of evictions was also a topic.
Tímea Szabó, parliament representative of Párbeszéd, thanked the participants for protesting for education for more than 400 days. She stated: Fidesz destroyed the future of young people with the status law, which is “the slave law of teachers”. She also talked about the fact that there will be no drinking water because of the battery factories. Tímea Szabó encouraged the participants to “fight”. After that, the marchers – among whom, for example, Bence Tordai, another member of Parliament of Párbeszéd, as well as independent member of parliament Ákos Hadházy, and Ferenc Gelencsér, president of Momentum, could be seen – went to the Carmelite monastery. The police called on the demonstrators to step back from the police line because they were violating the assembly law. However, the participants of the demonstration chanted in response: “Criminals are protected!” The demonstrators broke down the cordon at the building of the Honvéd High Command, which is under reconstruction, some climbed onto the construction scaffolding.
The police used gas spray at 7:56 p.m.
Later, it was reported on the police.hu website that five of those who attacked the police at the Karmelita monastery were caught, and criminal proceedings are being initiated against them at the prosecutor’s office for violence against an official. Momentum informed MTI that several of the party’s politicians participated in the demonstration and the events around Karmelita. In the process, the police “dragged Márton Tompos, deputy leader of the faction, behind the police line and later a bandage was put on his hand”.
MTI
Photo: MTI/Noémi Bruzák
