24 Apr 2024 | 11:26 AM UTC
Hungary: Activists plan anti-government protest in Budapest April 26
Activists to hold anti-government protest in Szechenyi Square, Budapest, Hungary, 18:00 April 26. Increased security, disruptions likely.
An anti-government demonstration, led by opposition politician Peter Magyar and various civil organizations, will take place in Budapest on April 26. Magyar and his supporters will demand the resignation of Interior Minister Sandor Pinter and the government following a number of child abuse scandals. Participants will gather outside the Ministry of the Interior in Szechenyi Square from 18:00. Although attendance levels are unclear, previous demonstrations called by Magyar have featured several thousand attendees.
Authorities will likely deploy increased security to monitor the gathering. Participants in the Szechenyi Square demonstration could march in the city center, causing significant ground travel disruptions. Limited confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers could occur.
Avoid the demonstration sites as a standard security precaution. Exercise caution in central Budapest on April 26. Heed instructions from authorities. Plan for localized road travel delays near the affected areas. Immediately depart the area at the first sign that any security disruption may occur.
Several large anti-government demonstrations have taken place in Budapest since early February after it emerged that former president Katalin Novak granted a presidential pardon to a man convicted as an accomplice in a child abuse case. The scandal has led to the resignation of Novak and senior Fidesz party member Judith Varga, who was Justice Minister at the time the pardon was granted. Public outrage has focused on the Fidesz party and its leadership ahead of the June 6-9 European Parliament elections. Magyar's Respect and Freedom Party (TISZA) has harnessed the scandal, and further demonstrations will likely take place, particularly in Budapest, during the build-up to the elections.
