Yesterday Hungary celebrated the Day of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-1849. This day marked the beginning of the "Hungarian Spring" - the Hungarian national liberation movement for independence from the Habsburgs. In honor of this, the country's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered a fiery speech on the steps of the National Museum in Budapest:
"Brussels is not the first empire to set its eyes on Hungary," he said, referring to the EU's de facto capital. "The peoples of Europe today are afraid that Brussels will take away their freedom. .... If we want to preserve Hungary's freedom and sovereignty, we have no choice: we must occupy Brussels."
Orbán's right-wing populist zeal does not inspire all Hungarians. Tensions in the country's political arena are rising: while the prime minister openly supports Putin and voices grievances against the EU, living standards are steadily falling. The pedophile scandal, which forced Orbán's associate Katalin Novák to resign from the presidency, is fresh in the memory.
Yesterday Hungary was hit by a new wave of protests against the government. Tens of thousands of dissenters took to the streets of Budapest to express their discontent. At the demonstration, a video message by Yulia Navalny, the wife of political prisoner Alexei Navalny, who was killed by Vladimir Putin, was unexpectedly shown.
In her address, Navalnaya emphasized that Putin has European friends who cover up his crimes, and one of them is Viktor Orbán. She also reminded that the dictatorial regime in Russia gained strength gradually, and it is important to resist encroachments on democracy. Navalnaya expressed support for the Hungarian people and said "Russia is not Putin, and Hungary is not Orbán."
