Third night of anti-government protests in Budapest

Thousands have been demonstrating outside parliament demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, already unpopular for being a ‘Socialist’ millionaire and his program of neoliberal austerity, he was caught out in a leaked tape recording admitting that his party “lied morning, noon and night” to get elected. Despite promising tax cuts and higher social spending during the election campaign, Gyurcsany has introduced harsh economic reforms that include tax increases, mass public sector layoffs and cuts in energy price subsidies that have left his party slumping in polls.

The demonstrators have begun setting up tents outside parliament suggesting a long-term resolve, while police have claimed a small number of ‘far right extremists and known football hooligans’ have “hijacked” the demonstrations and been responsible for the clashes with police. A red and white Hungarian flag from the fascist Horthy-era was spotted in the crowd. The conservative opposition party Fidesz, whose neoliberal policies do not differ much from that of the government, have been looking to capitalise ahead of the local elections in two weeks time, organising a mass demonstration/party rally for Saturday even while a student demo planned for Thursday has been cancelled on account of the ‘tension’ on the streets in Budapest.

Commenting on participants in the first night of protests (libcom.org coverage here), an Indymedia Hungary report said:

"The protesters represented mixed political convictions. Many nationalists, football hooligans mixed with the crowd, on Kossuth Square it was mostly right wing, but when we were at the television, the normal non-fascist workers and ghetto kids were kicking one of the cars of the [state] television [station], while lovers photographed themselves on the top of the burnt-out water cannon... around a smoking car some happy anarchists (the September Eighteenth) distributed leaflets."