Protests at Kossuth Square and Across the Country

A wave of nationwide protests and actions has begun in response to the proposed law targeting independent civil society and the press. The actions were organized by civil organizations and outraged citizens. The Civilisation Coalition took part in the Budapest demonstration with two speakers, and supported protests and actions in other cities by providing civil-themed materials — including banners, stickers, and t-shirts.

Budapest, May 18, 2025 – Kossuth Square

The protest was initially announced by a group of outraged university students, sparking massive interest and eventually drawing tens of thousands of participants. Two of our member organizations got to speak at the event:

Veronika Móra, Director of the Ökotárs Foundation, and Vera Kovács, President of the From Huts to Homes! Association, both delivered speeches.

The Civilizáció Coalition participated in coordination with its member organizations, visibly present with civil symbols and distributing thousands of “civil heart” stickers.

Veronika Móra’s full speech from the Budapest protest is available here.

Pécs

Our member organization, the Power of Humanity Foundation, has built strong local civil alliances over the past years. Their report on the joint stand against the purge law can be read here in Hungarian.

The aHang and the aPontok communities called people to the streets, organizing protests and demonstrations in 15 locations across the country, including: Békéscsaba (May 24), Szentes (May 29), Miskolc (May 30), Nyíregyháza (May 30), Szeged (May 31), Tiszaújváros (May 31), Szolnok (May 31), Orosháza (May 31), Pásztó (May 31), Kazincbarcika (June 1), Budapest (June 1), Makó (June 1), Hódmezővásárhely (June 2), Veszprém (June 3).

You can read their call for a nationwide protest here in Hungarian.