Problems In Hungary
A frequent commenter here is Roland, who hails from Hungary. I'll be interested in his take on what is going on over there right now. Because the press is not being helpful. There has apparently been a major ruckus over the release of a tape recording made at a private meeting of the ruling party's cabinet. Demonstrations against the government resulted, and now police have broken up riots.
Rescue services said at least 50 people were injured as police fired tear gas and water cannon at rock-throwing protesters, who have been demanding the government resign.
The violence followed a mainly peaceful demonstration that began a day earlier outside parliament, after a recording made in May was leaked to local media. On it, Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany admitted officials lied about government finances to win April's elections.
Despite the surge in violence involving dozens of the protesters, Gyurcsany said that he had no plans to resign.
"The street is not a solution, but instead causes conflict and crisis," the prime minister told MTI, the state news service, early Tuesday. "Our job is to resolve the conflict and prevent a crisis."
Socialist members of parliament voted unanimously to support him and the government called for an emergency session of the cabinet for Tuesday morning.
As the crowd grew by Monday night to more than 10,000, according to an estimate by MTI, several hundred broke away and marched over to the nearby headquarters of state television, demanding to deliver a statement in a live broadcast.
While most of demonstrators watched, a few dozen broke through police lines and into the TV headquarters.
Police tried to disperse them with water cannon sprays but the truck was quickly disabled by the rioters, some of whom escorted the police officers operating the vehicle to safety. Several cars near the TV building were set on fire, their flames scorching the building.
The rioters appeared to control some areas on the ground floor of the block-square television building. Police said they were preparing to drive them out and were ordering several thousand police reinforcements to the capital.
The tape was made at a closed-door meeting in late May, weeks after Gyurcsany's government became the first in post-communist Hungary to win re-election.
It seemed to confirm the worst accusations leveled at him by the center-right opposition during the campaign — that Hungary's state budget was on the verge of collapse and that Gyurcsany and his ministers were concealing the truth to secure victory.
Adding spice to the scandal, Gyurcsany's comments were full of crude remarks and called into doubt the abilities of some of Hungary's most respected economic experts.
"We screwed up. Not a little, a lot," Gyurcsany was heard saying. "No European country has done something as boneheaded as we have."
The prime minister also told colleagues the government needed to end its duplicitous ways.
Speculation now seems to center on whether the right or the left actually leaked the recording. AFP carries this with the headline: "Hungarian police teargas far-right demonstrators", while Reuters says, "Hungarian anti-PM protesters clash with police". So take your pick. Hopefully, Roland will weigh in and tell us what is going on from a Hungarian viewpoint.
UPDATE: The BBC coverage quotes someone comparing this small riot to 1956. We'll have to throw the flag on that one folks. Roland from Hungary weighed in in the comments section. This was not 1956, more like a football thug riot. It's worth your time to read what Roland wrote and look at the pictures he linked before believing the hyperventilation from the BBC.
World news | Gaius September 18, 2006
By Roland Hesz, September 19, 2006 @ 2:51 am
Huh.. from a Hungarian viewpoint.
Of course, there is no such.
Looking at the participants, the leading force were a company called “64 Counties”, the name referring to the pre-Trianon Hungary, which included areas now part of neighbouring countries, so you can guess their phylosophy,
a bunch of people from right-wing nationalist parties and civil groups, and of course a lot of ordinary people who were simply watching and cheering the “hard-core”.
They attacked the HQ of the Public Television, flamed and wrecked cars, robbed the cafeteria in the building, took away computers, TV sets, destroyed tapes, and set flame to a side-entrance of the building.
Now, I don’t think it was anything political. it was vandalism, and nothing else.
They asked people at the TV to read in their petition – Hungary to the hungarians, capitalists get out, and such -, but they request was refused and they gave up after asking twice – now, they were not that serious about the petition I think.
This whole riot was not about the record – that was a handy excuse only.
For gods sake, one of the leaders of this event wanted to bring back the “Hungarian Nationalist Party” of 1943! She actually praised the mentality and ideology.
It was something they always wanted to do, and now, they had an excuse.
As for the leaked-record.
It was a 25 minutes long recording, and the whole media and everyone was going around one piece: “we lied morning, evening and night”
The whole sentence went something like this:
“I have enough, we had to pretend we are governing, while we lied morning, evening and night. I am disgusted, and can’t and won’t do it anymore….â€
Now, everyone knew they were lying. It was no question.
The opposing party lied too – different things, but lied.
Everyone knew that.
And just imagine, I got home from work quite late yesterday, went straight to bed, and I wake up to the news that a bunch of assholes stormed the Public TV.
I am sad, and a bit ashamed that this thing is what you read about my country.
Some 200-500 idiots out of 10 million. And they make the news.
By Roland Hesz, September 19, 2006 @ 3:03 am
Heh, just found a good sum-up of the situation at the TV.
“No fear, it’s just the football fans went to the wrong address”
By Roland Hesz, September 19, 2006 @ 4:32 am
Protesters or hooligans?
What do you see?
By Gaius, September 19, 2006 @ 5:07 am
Looks like they just went looting. Something to do in the evening when nothing good is on the TV…..
By Roland Hesz, September 19, 2006 @ 5:52 am
It is sad.
There are problems with the economy – despite honest people working so it would change -, problems in politics, and yes there are valid reasons to protest, march, whatever within the framework of democracy and common sense.
And then come these assholes, and do this.
Am I disgusted? Hell, yes, and angry. Do you wonder?
The world look at the pics and say: heh, hungarians, what a barbarian nation.
While it was just a handful of [censored], not representing us.
Despite they loud shouting of being the “true” hungarians.
I am sick of politics…
By Roland Hesz, September 19, 2006 @ 8:00 am
Heh, I know, it’s boring – forgive me, my country, I am really interested in the subject -, but I promise, one last link:
pestiside.hu
By Roland Hesz, September 19, 2006 @ 3:46 pm
Now, I am getting afraid.
The leader of the right wing has spoken.
“The current government is illegitim. The people should not stay at home.”
He is calling the people to the street, and the hard-core nationalist, right-wing nuts are responding.
The guy still thinks it is some easy game for power – but I don’t want my city to be burnt.
Gaius – right? left?
Who cares. I tell you – it’s not the side, it’s the person.
I’ve seen the cynical evil and heard him talk.
All I can hope for is that the majority of people only want to live, and work.
Never blogged so much as today, my fingers are hurting, but frankly, that’s all I can do at the moment.
Bloody nervous, ’cause this kind of rioting is quite rare here – we get rid of the communism without a loud word, for god’s sake, and now…
Sorry for rambling. Just letting out the steam.
By Gaius, September 19, 2006 @ 3:55 pm
Hey, if you want to have me post something for you here, I’ll be happy to do it.
By Roland Hesz, September 19, 2006 @ 4:45 pm
Thank you Gaius.
I think I will ask for the favour, but right now – 0:41 am – my mind is so numb I can’t put together anything.
But if your offer extends for tomorrow, I will send it to you in the morning.
Now I just want to sleep, maybe the jerks stop being jerks by the morning.
Haha….