Riots In Budapest, Hungary

BBC: Budapest hit by wave of violence

19 September 2006


Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany.

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These are the first clashes to take place between police and demonstrators in Hungary since the fall of communism and the establishment of democracy in the late 1980s. The BBC's Nick Thorpe, in central Budapest, says the trouble at the state television station began when a small group of protestors who had spent the day outside parliament tried to hand in a petition. A clash with riot police ensued and the square rapidly filled with mainly young people, some waving Hungarian flags.

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BBC: We lied to win, says Hungary PM

18 September 2006


Hungary's prime minister has admitted saying that his party lied to the public to win April's general election.

Ferenc Gyurcsany's admission came after Hungarian radio played a tape of a meeting he had with his Socialist MPs a few weeks after the election.

On it he says the party had lied to the public and his "boneheaded" government failed to introduce any real policies.

About 3,000 people gathered outside parliament on Sunday calling for him to resign but Mr Gyurcsany has refused.

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BBC: Third night of Hungarian protests

20 September 2006, 23:48 GMT 00:48 UK


Thousands of people have gathered outside the Hungarian parliament in Budapest for a third night to demand the resignation of the government. On previous nights the protests have led to violent clashes, which police say have been orchestrated by far-right groups and known football hooligans.

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Mr Gyurcsany told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday he would have "no patience" with rioters.

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BakuTODAY.net: Riots grip Budapest as divided Hungary remembers anti-Soviet uprising

23/10/2006


Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at far-right protestors on the streets of Budapest as a divided Hungary marked the 50th anniversary of its doomed anti-Soviet uprising. Water cannon were also used to disperse thousands of demonstrators across the city, initially to keep them from reaching the parliament where Hungarian and foreign dignitaries had held ceremonies to mark the 1956 uprising.

Most of those still battling police Monday evening were far-right extremists, many of whom were waving the red-and-white striped flag used by Hungary's pro-Nazi government during World War II. There were fears that the riots could bring a return of the chaos triggered by a leaked recording in mid-September in which Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said he lied to voters about the economy to win re-election in April. Those protests, which lasted more than one month, degenerated into riots, leaving hundreds injured.

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BBC: How to drive a tank

26 October 2006


A tank clattered across the cobbles of Budapest this week in a bizarre throwback to the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. Anti-government protesters hijacked a Soviet-era tank - removed from a museum display - and drove it around before being arrested. It made me wonder how easy these metal monsters are to drive.

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Hungarian Police Headquarters Fired on in Budapest (Update2)

Feb. 13 2006


An unidentified gunman fired 15 rounds at Hungary's police headquarters in Budapest early this morning, in what the government called an unprecedented example of escalating violence in the country.

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The government warned last week that extremist radical groups formed a network and are plotting against elected officials, with violence possible during national holiday celebrations March 15. While no direct link to today's shooting was established, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said some connection was obvious.

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Anti-government demonstrations spilled into the worst violence in half a century last September and October as rioters clashed with police. Protesters routinely call officers ``AVH,'' an acronym for Hungary's 1950s secret police, which the government says may have contributed to today's actions.

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BBC: Hungarian protests turn violent

15 March 2007


There have been violent clashes between police and far-right protesters on the streets of Budapest.

The trouble began when nationalist leader Gyorgy Budahazy, who has been wanted by the police since disturbances began last September, was detained.

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Boston Globe: 100,000 protest Hungary leader

By Reuters | March 16, 2007


A hundred thousand opposition supporters rallied yesterday during ceremonies to mark Hungary's national holiday to demand that the country's Socialist prime minister resign.

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"The mercenaries of fear are among us again. It is because of them that many people awaited the anniversary of our most peaceful revolution with fear," said Demszky, a prominent dissident under communism.

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22 Oct 2007


Police used water cannons and fired tear gas at the protesters, witnesses said.

State MTV television showed pictures of riot police before its broadcast from the Opera where an official celebration of the 51st anniversary of the country's 1956 uprising against the Soviet Union was being held.

Demonstrators set a police water cannon on fire before being driven back. They turned over cars and built a barricade, and the index.hu Web site said protesters were also throwing petrol bombs at police.

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