(Watching the) elections in Hungary

Do check out these for vivid impressions:

Photos of demonstrators and police

From Magyar Nemzet, a conservative newspaper sympathetic to the demonstrators.

An impressive range of pictures. The sometimes lurid-looking demonstrators; the police using watercannons that spray paint, to mark anyone who was there; harsh pictures of injuries suffered by police violence (batons, teargas, rubber bullets); the teargas-filled city-centre underpass/underground station at Deak Ferenc ter; the aforementioned tank; and - striking - these ones: the demonstrators using the letters of the temporary 1956 commemoration monument that spell "FREEDOM" to barricade the boulevard:

I heard more of the pop-popping of teargas canisters being shot outside somewhere, so the fighting is still going on. Magyar Nemzet reports that it has continued throughout.

I gotta say that what sets these riots apart from, say, the old Amsterdam squatters' riots of the 80s, is in how many places it keeps breaking out. Police swept Rakoczi Blv and Blaha Lujza Square clean and then followed protestors up the Great Boulevard to Oktogon and the Western Station, apparently even shooting tear gas into clubs or cafes along the way; but even as they did so huge crowds had gathered across the city center at Erzsebet Bridge. And while the stand-off continued there, others returned to the Jozsefvaros part of the Great Boulevard and tried to block the road with cars there - only for cops on horses to - if I understand this correctly - tear open the car doors. But in the meantime rioters were actually flowing back into Blaha Lujza Square.

Well, cellphones make this kind of thing a lot easier of course, but still - its clear - what happened today - what is still happening today - is much more serious than the overnight rioting a few weeks back. Far larger scale, more people involved, more brutal means of (police) violence.

There are currently some 70 people in the hospitals, apparently - very few cops among them (note the difference with the first night of rioting, several weeks ago, when the majority of injured were policemen).

Those Huns. I was telling you all along they are wild Barbarians.

Hehehe - we weren't engaged there! :wink:

no, although you're not without guilt. you kept calling them Huns long after Attila was that, why even King Stephen was addressed as a Hun, and that was nearly 600 years after Attila stuck his boots out towards Heaven... or well, somewhere anyways... I'm sure that carried some trauma and aggravation with it. And now see the results? See?

As every CNN anchor closes after every fake live interview with any reporter anywhere in the world reporting on any matter at all...

"Now, you take care of yourself over there."

I love this. (Not least because I identify thoroughly...)

Thanks as always for these reports, wow. And yes, take care -- I'm glad the plowing into a police barricade 'cause of teargas in your eyes ended well, but eek!

Heh, Soz, Blatham.. ;-)

Well, as so often the weather is coming out on the side of the powers that be... it's been pissing with cold rain all evening... the demonstrators are at home by the fireplace, I'm guessing.

Meanwhile, check this out - photos, accounts (ironic and serious) etc:

Riotsinhungary.blog.hu

There's also another bystander's account of an expat like me who, having no truck with either camp initially, started sympathising with the demonstrators as things unfolded:

I Smell Trouble - a diary of disproportionate force

PS - Mind you, I understand this guy;s response - I had it too, a bit - but it pretty much comes with the territory - you stand with the demonstrators and see the police attack, see the inevitable disbalance in power of force between the police with its teargas and watercannons and the protestors, and you pretty much instinctively start emotionally siding with the demonstrators. Doesnt necessarily mean thats right, though.

For example, perhaps unaware of their significance, he fails to mention the fascist flags the demonstrators were carrying. I dunno - I have many of the same responses as him, for sure. The surprise at the width of the variety of people among the protestors, for example. And for my part I am highly sceptical, for example, about the conveniently justificatory police claims that they found a hidden stash of improvised weapons on Kossuth/Parliament Square after they evicted the protestors from there yesterday morning - the event that set all the trouble off. But I'm also aware that I might miss things, as expat - cultural things.

Eg, in Holland you can recognize fascists/far-righters easily enough, generally, there's plenty of "style" clues to give it away, and these weeks' protestors sure dont fit any such kind of profile: whole families, alternative youngsters, neat ladies, average people. But that might just mean that I don't know the "clues" here (apart from the give-away flags and t-shirts), or that it just works differently here. The vehemence of anger/contempt towards these protestor-rioters among my reasonable/liberal Hungarian acquaintances must say something as well.

(Not that it's OK to shoot rubber bullets at protestors so long as they're fascists - or that these liberal Hungarians aren't necessarily without partisan, or even class, prejudices themselves - just that it's also worth noting that things might not quite be what they look like to an outsider at first sight either.)

Ok, sorry for the meandering thinking-aloud.. I really have no dog in this fight myself, at all, and thats a very new sensation. Looking at the politics of the two camps, its the devil or the deep blue sea to me, while looking at the people on both sides I empathise with those on either side, really.

enjoying the Riotsinhungary blog. Especially the entry from a month ago on who started the riots:

Konspiráció!
That weird word means conspiracy. There is nothing that Hungarians love more than finding the hidden motives, the dark forces, the foreign infiltrators and the evil bastards trying to milk the noble causes. Since the riots started people from every political persuasion, anti- and pro-government types have all nurtured some wonderfully wild conspiracy theories. Which doesn't mean that they are not true. Here are our favourites:

Who leaked Gyurcsány's speech to the media?
- Those who hate him say it was the PM himself. The cunning bastard wants to manipulate the masses in a way that ordinary Hungarians can't really understand.
- Those who love him say it was the PM himself. The cunning genius wants to manipulate the masses in a way that ordinary Hungarians can't really understand.

Who started the riots?
- Commie agents paid by Gyurcsány, who wants to discredit the noble revolutionaries by associating them with pain and destruction.
- Evil ex-PM Viktor Orbán, who is trying to completely ruin the country so he can get back to power.
- The Jews, the Romanians or the Slovaks.

What is going to happen now?
- The government will cancel the upcoming local elections, and turn the country into a communist dictatorship.
- The Virgin Mary, protectror of Hungary will rise again and lead the nation to a future completeley free of evil commies.
- The ruthless nazis out in the streets of Budapest are planning a coup d'etat, either with or without Viktor Orbán.

What is the rest of the world thinking?
- They - especially the Jews, the Romanians and the Slovaks - hate Hungary and want all Hungarains bankrupt and dead.
- They just love us. Hungary is the leading light of Central Europe. Always was, always will be.
- They have a cunning plan to rob Hungary of all its riches. Unfortunately the plan is secret and ordinary Hungarians wouldn't understanfd it anyway.

And, holy cow. This, I agree with the poster, was truly moronic:

Well, to be fair it wasnt quite like that. As it turns out, the tank wasnt exactly standing there ready to roar. Instead, some protestors had apparently had the brainfart of using the tank in advance, and had prepared for it. Brought their own (car) batteries and had installed those (in advance?). Guy behind it was apparently a former soldier.

that makes more sense,

though it strikes me to bring in a tank on an anniversary of the Revolution at this particular moment.... just in poor judgment, is all.

As if she isn't busy enough already presenting herself in street lamp shadows or the sheen of a donut's icing. And there's all those icons oozing bacon fat and ketsup that someone has to refill. She's an overworked virgin and the Hugaryites ought not to add to her burden.

Today it's 50 years ago that the 1956 revolution was beaten down by Soviet tanks.

It was also expected to be the last weekend that one could go out and demonstrate before winter sets in and makes it too cold to do so.

As a result, something like nine permits were given out for demonstrations, manifestations and commemorations around town by various political groups. The INGO I work for sent out a warning that the office building would be closed, and that nobody, not even those with employee ID passes, would be allowed in, so not to come to the office for any weekend work.

Trying the Andrassy Boulevard, I just ran into one of the gatherings - the main prize even, a silent, torchlit march led by Viktor Orban, leader of the main opposition party, Fidesz.

The contrast with the street battles of two weeks ago couldn't be greater. It was a dignified, even touching commemoration march. People gathered from all directions towards the "Terror House" commemoration museum, where the march would start, and let themselves be gently directed to the sides of the boulevard by Fidesz's own friendly security team, so everything would proceed orderly. Almost half of the gatherers was over 60 - polite, gentlemooded ladies and gentlemen. Chatting about how one or the other really had been a little bit afraid to come. There were more families, children clutching candles in little glasses with the Hungarian flag. Well-dressed young men, young couples lighting and relighting each other's torch. People came with the kind of torches you put in the garden, with self-made ones, with large candles and candles in the Hungarian colours, or just with small household candles. They'd improvised little paper holders to catch the wax, homemade grips to more easily hold them.

But no flags, apart from discreet '56-flags (with the center cut out) on lapels or coats, smart-looking or home-made.

First to slowly roll down the boulevard was a truck with a wall of speakers - classical music. Then the leaders, surrounded by cameramen - Orban, and Istvan Tarlos, the Budapest mayoral candidate who narrowly lost. Some people in the crowd chanted a little bit, "Viktor, Viktor". Then gradually the march slowly stepped past. As far as one could see up the boulevard to Heroes' Square, and soon as far as one could see down the boulevard the other way too, there were people, and the orange lights of the candles and torches flitting into unsharpness in the distance. I stood by, asked a grandfatherly man in a brown coat that fitted the brown garden candle he held if I could take a photo, and he smiled and said, "of course, of course!" The people next to him, before, had noticed that the candlewax had threatened to drip onto his hand and had helped out wrapping a little plastic bag around the bottom.

A man walking past with a candle in his hand recognized me, happily surprised, and asked me how I was - it took me about half the pleasant conversation before I remembered who he was, a web tech person we once had a meeting with about a task that his company might have done for us - I told him I was impressed. He emphasized, yes, it is very different from what happened on Astoria the last time - very different, and impressed on me that that it hadnt been their choice, what had happened then, he had been at Asztoria himself, there had been a large, peaceful crowd, and the police had attacked them, suddenly, he had had teargas in his eyes..

We agreed that this was much better. I walked along with the crowd when they were softly singing the national anthem. Candles kept going out, because, this has to be added, expectations were wrong - it is already too cold to demonstrate, really. The drizzle that fell was snowy. Around freezing point.

Hopefully, this is also what will keep things from turning violent like two weeks ago, tonight. Its just too cold to riot. Is what I would say, anyway. But who am I to say (now, two hours later, I can hear lots of sirens outside, but then you usually can).

More background:

News stories mashup:

Hungarians took to the streets to mark the day in 1956 when a massive Soviet army invaded Hungary, to crush a popular anti-communist revolution which was only 12 days old.

At least 2,800 Hungarians and more than 700 Soviet soldiers died in fighting.

Rallies and other commemorations passed peacefully, easing concern among police and the government over a resumption of violence that has rocked Budapest in recent weeks. Fear that a Hungarian opposition march would be hijacked by violent right-wing extremist proved unfounded.

Official events solemn but controversial

Supporters of the government and its opponents vied with each other to prove their peaceful intentions at the commemorations.

Several official events took place. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany laid a single white carnation at a new monument that stands near where a statue of Joseph Stalin was toppled during the uprising. By the afternoon thousands more flowers had been laid at the same site.

But Gyurcsany faced a jeering crowd at the event. Many on the right believe his Socialist Party represents communists in capitalist clothing, and have questioned its right to lead the commemorations.

Opposition commemorates 1956 and last week's riot victims in candle-lit march

The main right-wing opposition party, Fidesz, boycotted official events and organized a separate commemoration rally.

As darkness fell, around 50,000 opposition supporters carrying torches or holding candles set out from the former headquarters of Hungary's communist secret police, marching in silence through the centre of Budapest.

"We are commemorating the crushing of the uprising, but we would also like to demonstrate that it would be important to live in freedom," said Bela Eross.

The rally doubled as protest decrying the 'victims of brutal police attacks' on October 23, when police and protestors clashed during commemorations for the start of the uprising.

That day, police sealed off the area around parliament as dignitaries from across the world arrived in Budapest for the commemoration events, after which several hundred far-right protestors evicted from there disrupted a much bigger Fidesz rally nearby and scuffled with police.

Many protesters were hurt when police then fired rubber bullets, tear gas, and colored water to disperse a crowd of thousands, eventually storming a barricade hours later.

Unanswered questions about the 23 October riots

The governing Socialist Party and Fidesz have since argued over how the police handled events.

Fidesz has alleged that police deliberately pushed the far-right groups into its rally so it could attack the peaceful demonstration, at which demonstrators were calling for Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany to resign. It accuses police of using excessive force and using truncheons to attack peaceful protesters and brutalize innocent bystanders.

The government this week opened secret service reports on the riots and claimed far-right political groups incited some of the violence.

"Both the government and Fidesz have been confronted by the fact that a social group has evolved that doesn't shy away from violent acts," said Attila Juhasz, an analyst at research firm Political Capital in Budapest.

Fidesz's parade today ended at Astoria, the same spot where the party held its Oct. 23 congregation. Participants then drifted home and traffic resumed through the area, a main route through the capital.

The far right roams downtown streets

In all, over 30 events and demonstrations took place on Saturday.

They included at least four demonstrations by far-right groups in and around Szabadsag square, which is home to the television headquarters that was stormed as the protests turned to the first riots on Sept. 18.

Protestors demanded the removal of a monument located there to Soviet troops that liberated Hungary from the Nazis at the end of the Second World War. The square was cordoned off by police and officers were on stand-by. There were no reports of violence.

Some far-right protestors did attempt to merge with the main rally, but Fidesz stewards blocked their way.

The hundreds of demonstrators, many of them with their faces covered, then roamed the city aimlessly, accompanied by a small police escort. They blocked traffic and waved nationalist flags before congregating in downtown Vorosmarty square.

Fewer than 100 people gathered there in the drizzling snow at 8:30 p.m., demanding that Gyurcsany and his government resign and waving signs depicting Hungary before it lost two thirds of its territory after World War I.

Demonstrators took turns to speak at a microphone, with one saying that the police aren't their enemy because "this government doesn't pay them enough to live on either."

Police did not have to intervene and the demonstrators dispersed late in the evening.

Weather may have played pivotal role

The weather may have played a role in keeping today's events peaceful. Since last week, temperatures have dropped in Budapest. It was 2 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit) at 6 p.m. On Oct. 23, it was about 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit), with some protesters in light jackets.

On Sunday a day of prayer has been organised by some of the civic groups calling for the prime minister's resignation.

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Sources:

BBC News: Hungary mourns crushed uprising

Reuters: Hungary opposition holds rally to mark uprising

Bloomberg: Hungary Marks 1956 Soviet Invasion; Protests Peaceful (Update4)

Monsters and Critics: No violence as Hungary commemorates 1956 uprising (Roundup)

They're ba-a-ack...

Every time I'm pretty sure I want to go to Budapest as part of my trip ... I spent about an hour today talking to E convincing her that Budapest was a better choice than Bratislava.

Bloomberg update 5

Oh, Budapest is totally better than Bratislava! No comparison!

Bratislava is cute, but eh .. <checks to make sure Dag isnt about> .. its very provincial. And very small. More than two days in Bratislava without having someone to visit there isnt really worth it. Specially not if you come all the way from across the ocean. No, Budapest!

As for the demos.. well, I happened upon the protestors tonight, by coincidence, because I cycled up toward the Margit Bridge to get some soaps from Lush. Hence my post above. There were about a thousand, two thousand. Like last year, a typical demographic cross-section of age and class, but at the same time with a distinct subcultural vibe - when I arrived, there was something oddly skin-punk-sounding playing, and when I passed, a speaker welcomed the "Brothers/sisters" (same word in Hungarian), and called out to cheers, "Long live Hungary! Long live the uprising!". They still think a revolution will come this year.

But, two main things re your trip here. 1) Its too cold for anything big to happen anytime soon. 2) Even last year, when the **** really hit the fan, there was just the 1 day that the downtown area as a whole became risky environs. All the other times - well, people underestimate the size of a city, the localised-ness of events. The night they attacked the Hungarian TV building - anyone who was not in the immediate neighbourhood of Parliament after 11 PM (and theres really no reason to be anywhere near there after sunset, nothing to do there) would not have noticed a thing were it not for the news reports. Even the second-worst night of violence, when they besieged Blaha Lujza Square for hours - thats at the end of this street (points outside). I never noticed a thing.

In short:
a) Only once last year did violence erupt in the daytime (the day that the protestors commandeered that tank).
b) In total, there was only ever violence on .. four or five nights or so?
c) Only on three nights, I think, was the late-evening violence "mobile", eg spread beyond a clearly identifiable square or street or two.
d) Any local was able to tell you roughly where there was trouble; plenty easy to avoid even if you were out in the evening.
e) Ive cruised through and around the demos/riots plenty, by foot and on bike, and apart from that 1 worst day, whenever you turned away from what seemed like a raucous, momentous event, three blocks down any sidestreet, all was quiet and calm. Hell, two blocks down a main throughfare people would be blissfully crowding the terraces, drinking a glass of wine.

If - and thats a big if - the demos at Parliament Square (which will probably start up again in spring, and should be worth a visit) ever start turning ugly again in the late evening hours, just ask the people at the reception of your hotel or hostel what a possible hotspot might be, and avoid it. Its a big city.

Bratislava... <mutters> ... ppffrrtt.

I heard that.