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AS THE HUNGARIAN capital of Budapest has been gripped by large scale anti-government demonstrations, one of the main people involved in the protests has warned that there is a real and immediate need to fight against Viktor Orbán-style politics across Europe. Áron Varsányi is a spokesman for the Momentum political party, a grouping of opposition politicians and activists. Members of the group have been turning out in large numbers on the streets and bridges of the Hungarian capital, along with other groups, displaying their opposition to the Orbán regime for months now. On one day last week, a massive protest shut down one of the bridges spanning the Danube river, which cuts the city of Budapest in two. Within sight of the impressive Hungarian Parliament, thousands thronged the roadway and shut down traffic to protest against the increasing power of Orbán and his Fidesz party. The streets of Budapest are busy with traffic and tourists throng the many eateries and markets – the city appears as though it is thriving. But Varsányi said behind the scenes, ordinary Hungarians are caught in a whirlpool of ever-increasing inflation, stricter laws and a cost of living crisis that is increasing the number of homeless scattered on benches and doorways along the streets. It is a difficult pitch for the Momentum party to catch Fidesz – they are at just 4% in polls – but Varsányi said that he and his colleagues ‘know they are right’ to confront the Orbán regime. He believes apathy with the political class and people struggling so much that they can’t muster the strength to take on the task of change has made it more difficult for people to speak out – but the numbers are growing. “We still have the hope, but it’s really hard on two or three or four per cent to get up every morning and fight against this kind of government. “But we know that we are right, and we see that we are right, there is no question that we are right,” he said. “We can have the conversation or arguments about ideologies – that’s not the question, and that’s not the goal that we are working for. “We are working for a better life here in Hungary. If just one person in this country sees that we are correct and able to act against the government or act for a better country and that’s what we are doing – I have hope that we will succeed,” he added. Momentum protesters flanked by police during a recent protest.Momentum Demonstrations The protest movement has seen young people in particular joining their numbers. Advertisement Last Friday morning a number of them travelled – as they have been doing every week – to confront Viktor Orbán as he arrived for his weekly radio address at Kossuth radio station. The police were waiting and corralled them before the Prime Minister departed. There was no violence just a blockade. This was just one protest out of many. The protesters have sat in the streets and blocked traffic, they have taken over city centre bridges – later today they plan to block access to parliament. In a separate movement there have been protests against the banning of an LGBTQ+ Pride event in the city – a move prompted by the increasingly more conservative regime. The Orbán regime claims that the event is damaging to children. Áron Varsányi with the Hungarian parliament behind.Niall O'Connor / The Journal Niall O'Connor / The Journal / The Journal Varsányi says that the issue is not specifically about the ban on Pride but rather that if the Government succeeds in blocking it they will be able to block gatherings simply because they can. He said that the situation now is that the Government is imposing fines of the equivalent of upwards of €500 for merely protesting on the streets. There is a State-wide movement to hit people in the pocket when they demonstrate. “In Hungary that fine is a lot of money – people are struggling to put food on the table, to buy meat for dinner,” he said. There is a real sense, talking to Varsányi, that the confrontation of his movement against Orbán and his political acolytes is an uphill battle. He said the more elderly are voting for Orbán while the apathetic youth are not turning out in numbers for the opposition which is most noticeably linked to Péter Magyar. Peter Magyar, a rising challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, addresses people at a campaign rally in the rural city of Debrecen, Hungary, in May, 2024.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Hungary is a warning Varsányi said that the Hungarian experience should be a warning to other countries, including Ireland. “In Western Europe this is taking hold, and if you miss your opportunity to say no, to stop them, it’s going to be really, really hard to get back to normal, to get back to democracy, and to stabilise your economy, to stop corruption, to stop [someone from] stealing public money. “I think only one country was able to change it back, and it was Poland last year – but the situation here in Hungary is so much worse than anywhere else in Western Europe and even in the USA. “We are on the way to be the next Russia, to be the next Turkey, to be the next Belarus, or the next Serbia, where you can’t change the government, and you can’t go to protest on the streets where your average salary is decreasing, decreasing, decreasing, where the political elite is wealthier and wealthier,” he said. The country is due to go to the polls in 2026. There is hope as well that a recent political scandal around the pardoning of a convicted paedophile could spell electoral damage for Fidesz. Last week the Politico website published their respected poll of voter intentions – Tisza, the Respect and Freedom Party of Péter Maygar is in the lead by eight percentage points at 44%. The next is Orban’s Fidesz party on 36%. Vársanyi believes Maygar is a “real danger” for Orban but he warns that while violence has not been used against protestors yet,that more robust responses will follow from the regime to protect its place at the head of the Hungarian state. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. 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