There have been protests in Hungary following its adoption of a new constitution, and a raft of new legislation. In Hungary itself dissent has come mostly from the centre left, opponents of Victor Orbàn’s governing Fidesz Party. Grave concerns have also been expressed by many outside Hungary, including Hillary Clinton, whose letter to Orbàn is reproduced here.
Yesterday, one of the Times’s leader articles warned that Hungary was returning to autocracy, and asserted that ‘a disgraceful new constitution threatens Hungary’s democracy and basic liberties’. And here is a letter written by former Hungarian political dissidents protesting at these changes.
There are many different reasons why people are alarmed by events in Hungary. Limitations on media freedom are one problem, and here is a piece on just one manifestation of this development. Another anxiety is the socially conservative nature of the new constitution, its insistence that life begins at conception and that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Recently, another bill has been criticised because it excludes gay couples from the definition of a ‘family’.
As will be apparent from the links, I’d recommend Eva Balogh’s Hungarian Spectrum as an excellent source of news and analysis, and the The Contrarian Hungarian also has some interesting coverage.
