Thousands
of Hungarians have been protesting against the policies of Prime Minister
Viktor Orban. Among the demonstrators' complaints was an apparent move towards
Moscow and away from democracy.
Deutsche Welle, 3 Jan 2015
Thousands
of Hungarians flocked to the center of Budapest, opposing a perceived
government policy of centralization and rapprochement with the Kremlin.
Demonstrators
gathered in front of Budapest opera house carrying placards denouncing Orban,
whose party has seen a sharp drop in support in recent months.
Protesters
said they were demonstrating against poverty and accused the government of
undermining checks and balances put in place to prevent abuse of power.
Washington and Brussels have both accused Orban's government of restricting
media freedom and weakening the independence of the country's judiciary.
Online tax
put on hold
Demonstrators
have also accused the government of failing to tackle corruption and develop
the economy. The protests have been held regularly over the past two months,
and were sparked by a government plan to introduce a levy on Internet use. The
government has since shelved its plan to introduce the tax.
"I
think it is important for people to demonstrate," organizer Zsolt Varady
said in a speech at the rally. "The politicians have gone far away from
reality. They don't seem to represent the public's views."
The
protesters expressed anger not only at Orban, but all the political parties who
have held power since the fall of communism a quarter of a century ago.
"We
condemn the parties of the last 25 years... We cannot expect the state to think
for us," Varady told the crowd.
Pro-Russian
or pro-Hungarian?
Critics
claim the present government's cooperation with Russia in the energy sector -
including a loan from Moscow to upgrade a nuclear plant and Budapest's support
for the Russian-backed South Stream gas pipeline project - shows that Orban is
seeking closer ties with Putin.
Orban has
rejected as "nonsense" the description of Hungarian as
"pro-Russian," claiming that his policies are "pro-Hungarian"
and that the country remains a loyal member of NATO. However, he has criticized EU sanctions against Russia as a result of the Ukraine crisis, and accused the
US of seeking to interfere in central European affairs.
Orban has
vowed to make Hungary a "non-liberal" state, and last month called
for the mandatory drug testing of journalists and politicians.
rc/bk (AP, AFP, dpa)
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