‘Day of Outrage’ demonstrations

Népszabadság thinks the 15 thousand strong Budapest rally signalled a turning point in anti-government protest, while liberal pundits criticise demonstrators for condemning not just the incumbent government, but all its predecessors over the past 25 years as well.

In its front page editorial, Népszabadság suggests that Monday’s mass rally on Kossuth Square in front of the Parliament building heralded a new phase in the history of recent anti-government demonstrations. Over the past years those events have targeted concrete issues, including the latest ones against the planned internet tax and against the President of the Tax Authority who was banned from entering the US because she was suspected of being involved in corruption. On Monday, however, 15 thousand people demonstrated against those in power in general and such a general anger cannot be easily soothed, Népszabadság believes.

On Galamus, Zsófia Mihancsik pours scorn on the organisers who left the demonstrators on the square after delivering their speeches, with one of them already sitting in a TV studio when the dissatisfied protesters attempted to invade the Parliament building. (Police kept them at bay for hours, and they finally disbanded.) The liberal pundit suspects that the crowd remained dissatisfied because it was eager to protest against the incumbent government, while most speakers condemned all the political élites of the past 25 years. She dismisses that stance as pure demagoguery.

On the Magyar Narancs website, István Gusztos explains in very similar terms why he left the square after 20 minutes. The crowd, he argues, had no idea what its goals were and had no programme whatsoever. Such a crowd can easily go wild and provoke law and order reactions from the authorities. Crowds that reject parties will never be able to overthrow the incumbent régime, Gusztos warns.

Tags: protests