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If we contrast the reality of how a dream comes true with the dream itself, it’s most often more messy, more difficult, somewhat disappointing in reality.
In February of 2024, a handful of Hungarian content creators brought 150 000 people to the Heroes’ Square, Budapest, to protest the corrupt government that lets down the most vulnerable: protects the perpetrators over the sexually abused children in state care.
The protest reacted to a scandal after it came to light that a year earlier the President of the Republic and the Minister of Justice co-signed a presidential pardon for an accomplice of a pedophile state care director abusing children living in his institute.
One of the big questions of the talks was: what now? People are here, people showed strength and a willingness to act. But a handful of content creators can’t change politics. They urged a political actor (old or new) to step up and provide a channel for this anger, force and willingness to act.
When it became clear, that this political actor will be Péter Magyar, ex-husband of the Minister of Justice in question, it was difficult to embrace for many.
I had a conversation about it in the summer with my friend P. I told her that we have to embrace the reality of what is. Revolution, change, success is alway different than how we imagined it will be.
When we listened to the talks on Heroes’ Square, we imagined our “New Petőfi”, Edina Pottyondy carrying a burning flag into the future and single-handedly bringing change. But just as the revolution after Petőfi’s poem, actual political change is a longer and messier process.
Related
- I experienced this difference between idea and reality as I started political volunteer work.
- The TISZA Szigetek (Tisza Islands) political volunteer network itself is a layer of reality.
- The power of Edina’s speach was incredible. Ádám Nagy said afterwards that watching her from backstage talking to the angry crowd felt like she’s lazily walking around a bunch of oil barrels with a burning cigarette in her hand, and he was wondering if she’ll flick a finger and burn down Budapest. I was watching from home, having the chills, sharing the experience with my friend D watching from Amsterdam. It was really the start of my volunteer work, my journey of regaining hope. I’m sure it was the same for many. https://youtu.be/2eDR4tYMb4c?si=AWrhwZoC7qS8aArH
- One of my associates in volunteer work, A said that for her, the 2025 Budapest Pride was such a reignation of hope. After Hungarian PM Orbán banned Budapest Pride, it became the biggest Budapest Pride ever, with 300 000 people on the streets, marching for civil rights. This time, I wasn’t watching on TV, but I was there. :)
- Timeline:
- 2024.02.01 - 444 publishes an article that ignites the presidential pardon scandal
- 2024.02.10 - The President Katalin Novák and the Minister of Justice Judit Varga resigns. Péter Magyar, ex-husband of the Minister of Justice announces that he cuts ties with state-owned companies and resigns from related positions.
- 2024.02.11 - Péter Magyar gives his infamous interview to Telex, starkly speaking against the government, but denying that he would want to get into politics himself. https://youtu.be/WC-79xXadzE?si=_EnKE44khUKEGgyS
- 2024.02.12 - A handful of Hungarian content creators publish a statement and announce an upcoming demonstration titled “Odakint most szörnyek járnak” (There are monsters lurking out there)
- Judit Bányai (Nemakarokbeleszólni, Jólvanezígy, Fókuszcsoport)
- Attila Baukó (Azahriah)
- Eszter Fancsikai (Nemakarokbeleszólni)
- Márton Gulyás (Telex)
- Ádám Nagy (Jólvanezígy, Fókuszcsoport)
- Edina Pottyondy
- Zsolt Osváth (Zshowtime)
- Márton Szabó (Jólvanezígy)
- Orsi Tapasztó (Nemakarokbeleszólni)
- 2024.02.16 - The protest 4 days after its announcement brings out 150 000 people in a country that was in political depression, desperation and indifference, and where people saw no hope that we will rise and act ever again. The capitol’s public transport system crashes due to the number of people flooding it, a significant number of people can’t reach the demonstration due to this.
- 2024.03.15 (National Holiday) - Péter Magyar announces that he will get into politics and will start a party that will run for EU Parliament mandates in 2024 and for the National Election in 2026.