Hungary: Thousands March Demanding Orban's Ouster
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Thousands protested in Budapest, Hungary, demanding Prime Minister Viktor Orban's resignation following a child abuse scandal at state facilities.
Thousands of demonstrators marched through central Budapest on Saturday, heading towards Prime Minister Viktor Orban's offices to demand his resignation. The catalyst for the protest was alleged child abuse within state-run juvenile institutions.
The protesters, many carrying soft toys and torches, were led by Peter Magyar, a key political challenger to Orban. Magyar held a banner with the message: "Let's protect children."
The march crossed the Danube River, with a large contingent making its way to Orban's offices located on Castle Hill.
One protester, speaking to AFP news agency, expressed outrage: "Normally a government would be toppled after a case like this. For them, the problem is not that the abuses happened, but that they were revealed."
The demonstration follows the recent release of videos depicting staff members at a juvenile correction facility in Budapest allegedly physically abusing children.
Prosecutors are currently investigating the former director of the facility, with accusations including running a prostitution ring and subjecting minors to both physical and sexual abuse. Several employees of the facility have also been taken into custody.
Earlier in 2024, Hungary's President, Katalin Novak, and Justice Minister, Judit Varga, both resigned in response to a pardon granted to an individual complicit in a child sex abuse case at a public orphanage.
Addressing the crowd, Magyar stated that despite Orban's promises to improve the situation for children, "it turned out that every member of the Orban government took the side of the abusers."
