Early on Friday morning, a coalition of NGOs hung a large banner on the Buda Castle Tunnel facing Clark Ádám Square that read, “We are with you. We stay for you,” in protest against the so-called “transparency” bill.
The bill, put forward by a lawmaker from Orbán’s Fidesz party, would give Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office more power to label organisations that it sees as harming Hungary’s interests by influencing public debate or voter opinions.
If passed, the law would allow the government to list these organisations, cut their funding, and impose heavy fines if they are found to “endanger the sovereignty of Hungary by carrying out activities aimed at influencing public life with foreign support.”
Dávid Víg, director of Amnesty International Hungary, gave a speech, stressing that the government is afraid of those who uncover the truth, afraid of those who offer solutions to real problems.
Veronika Móra, Director of the Ökotárs Foundation, said:
“This plan, this law of disarmament, is evil in every sense, deeply cynical and serves only one purpose: to starve, suffocate and cut off all resources to those who speak out or criticise the authorities.”
Shortly afterwards, opposition party Momentum sprang into action, and headed to the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty located on 7 Sánc Street, where they poured red paint over the fence and blockaded the villa building. Following the act of protest the security company guarding the property called the police.
At 5pm, a demonstration began on the site.
“Of course, it’s now a rubber stamp of some sort. If we don’t deal with it, then they introduce it, then they do it, so it’s a rubber stamp. Obviously it will be time for real action when they start applying the law,” said one demonstrator.
Momentum chairman Márton Tompos, parliamentary group leader Dávid Bedő, and Átlátszó journalist Zsuzsa Bodnár also spoke at the demonstration.
Parliament is expected to publicly discuss the bill on transparency next Tuesday. If passed, the new law will give government the power to block newspapers and NGOs that it believes threaten the country’s sovereignty.
The European Commission reacted to the bill at a press conference on Friday.
“As this is only a bill for now, we will not comment in detail. However, let me underline that the Commission attaches great importance to the work of civil society organisations and is therefore committed to protecting them, promoting their work and supporting them financially,” said spokesman Markus Lammert , who also recalled that the European Commission had last October launched a case against Hungary in the EU Court of Justice, claiming that the national sovereignty law violates EU law.
ADVEReadNOWISEMENTThe protests will continue, with the next demonstration in Budapest on Sunday afternoon at Kossuth Square.