Focus on Hungary

“Shall we occupy the university?” “Yes!” cheered a roomful of applauding students from Hungary’s University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE), surrounded by the sound of drums, over a week ago. They then proceeded to block the entrance with the red and white stripes that have since become the symbol of a resistance movement supporting the autonomy of the SZFE and standing up against a further attack by Viktor Orbán’s conservative, nationalist Government on the freedom of art, culture and education in Hungary.

On the evening of 24 July, a crowd of 10 000 -15 000 people gathered in front of the office of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to show their solidarity for the journalists who had resigned that very same morning from the largest remaining independent Hungarian news portal.

In the last three months it has become crystal clear that, among other matters, the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary has taken its toll on a peculiar subject – the rule of law itself.

The centenary of the Treaty of Trianon did not bring about “national unity” to Hungarians. If possible, they are more divided now than ever.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and further exacerbated many inequalities - especially the ones concerning woman. 

Viktor Orbán uses the Covid-19 pandemic as a pretext to complete his regime. This move is dangerous to the EU, and Germany has an important role to play.

The Hungarian Parliament passed a new act on Monday, which gives an already authoritarian government extraordinary, dangerous powers. 

The local elections in Hungary brought many surprises, but what happened exactly, and what is next? 

Since 2015 the Hungarian government has systematically demolished the asylum system, by now people are starving in the transit zones at the Southern border of Hungary.

Interview with the newly elected Green mayor of Budapest