More than 10,000 people took part in a protest in Budapest on Saturday, organized after video recordings of abuse of minors in a state juvenile institution in Budapest surfaced, prompting demonstrators to demand accountability from the authorities and protection for children in the social care system. The demonstrators were led by opposition leader Péter Magyar, who demanded the resignation of Viktor Orban.
The protest, organized by Magyar, gathered a large number of citizens who moved from central Pest across the Chain Bridge toward Buda Castle, where the offices of the President and the Prime Minister of Hungary are located.
The organizers emphasized that the rally was non-partisan and called on participants to bring children’s toys instead of political and ideological symbols, as a sign of solidarity with the victims of abuse.
The demonstrators thus walked through the cold streets of Budapest behind a banner reading “Protect the children!”, carrying plush toys and flares as a sign of solidarity with the victims of physical abuse in a case dating back several years.
The повод for the protest was the publication of secret video recordings, made several years ago in a juvenile institution in Budapest, showing brutal physical abuse of wards.
According to media reports, the footage shows the then acting director of the institution hitting and kicking children. He has since resigned and been detained, while police searched the facility and detained several individuals.
The prosecution announced on Wednesday that so far seven people have been detained at the state juvenile center in Budapest.
Magyar, the leader of the Tisa party, which according to polls holds an advantage ahead of the April elections, called on Prime Minister Viktor Orban to resign, accusing the government of failing to protect children in state care, Bloomberg reports.
The government, according to local media, attempted to portray the abused minors as offenders, which sparked additional criticism due to what was described as shifting the blame onto the victims.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is facing what could be the toughest challenge to his 15-year rule in the April elections, said in statements to Hungarian media that violence is unacceptable, but reiterated claims that the wards had criminal backgrounds.
The demonstrators said it is important to send a clear message to the authorities ahead of the elections, even if the protests have no immediate political effect. According to reports from the field, the gathering passed peacefully without incidents, and many participants crossed the Chain Bridge in silence beneath banners dedicated to the protection of children.
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Source: Telegraf, Foto: Tanjug/AP