HUNGARY: Hungarian opposition pulls down barriers erected in anti-government riots several months ago

MPs from Hungary's main centre-right opposition party on Friday (February 2) dismantled barriers outside parliament in an attempt to revive protests against the country's Socialist-led government. The barricade was erected on October 23 last year to prevent demonstrators camped outside parliament from disrupting celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Hungary's anti-Soviet uprising after two months of street protests. Fidesz called its operation on Friday an act of "civil disobedience" and party chief Viktor Orban said Fidesz would keep removing the barriers every day if police put them back. "This is a civil disobedience movement. We think that the order of the police is against our constitution. Eleven years after the change (fall of the communism) it is unacceptable. Obviously the government is incapable or they did not want to do anything. I would rather say, that the government backs the police to cover these unconstitutional acts. The only thing we can do now is to start a civil disobedience movement. It means, we know what we are doing. We take all the consequences," Orban said after giving instructions to his MPs to move the barriers. Fidesz had been holding a party meeting inside parliament, which is not in session. Initially police did not intervene as 120 Fidesz MPs with wrenches dismantled the barrier and stacked it in the square, but later police in riot gear ringed the parliament building and rebuilt the barricade. A crowd of just a few tens of people had swelled to around 500 people by mid-afternoon according to MTI news agency, some of them waving red and white striped flags associated with the far-right. The square was the scene of mass protests last year against Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany after he admitted in a leaked tape to lying about the state of the budget to win April's parliamentary elections. After winning the election, Gyurcsany imposed higher taxes and increased energy prices in an attempt to rein in Hungary's budget deficit, which at 10 percent of gross domestic product is the biggest in the EU. Hundreds of police and protesters were hurt in the worst clashes since communism ended in 1989 and more protests have been promised to coincide with the March 15 national day, traditionally a day of dissent under communism. Gyurcsany said Fidesz risked inciting further violence. Political analysts said that the highly visible action on Friday was mainly about showing Orban and Fidesz could provide leadership after reports of rifts within the party due to a failure to capitalise on the Socialists' unpopularity.

ITN Source | February 5, 2007

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