Hungarians protest at cuts
Tens of thousands of Hungarians protested in central Budapest yesterday against the centre-right government, demanding more transparent legislation and protection for the country’s free-market democracy. The rally was timed to coincide with the 55th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 revolt against Soviet rule. Protesters, organised mainly through Facebook, came from a loose alliance of liberal intellectuals and unions, which has grown in recent months alongside deep discontent with all political parties. Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has lost more than a million voters since it won a two-thirds majority in parliament last year, alienating them with measures many feel have been forced on them after little or no consultation.
To cut public debt and the budget deficit, Fidesz grabbed about $15bn worth of private pension fund assets.