Latest news with #aHang
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Thousands march in silence in Budapest to protest against 'transparency bill'
After a series of protests in the Hungarian countryside, Budapest was the scene of a silent protest organised by aHang. View on euronews
Euronews
4 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Thousands march in Budapest to protest 'transparency bill'
In Budapest, protesters gathered on Fővám Square Sunday afternoon before marching silently across the Freedom Bridge. The demonstration was a symbolic act against a draft law that critics say is designed to silence dissent and restrict access to the press and NGOs. "Our work is not subversion, but construction. It is not offence, but defence. Not betrayal, but service," stressed Viktor Szalóki, political director of aHang. "The government thinks it is dangerous to speak up for those who are not being heard. That I am working to ensure that everyone in Hungary lives in a healthy environment," said Enikő Tóth, the organisation's campaign director. Tóth said the bill's purpose is unmistakable: to regulate, intimidate and silence any organisation or citizen who supports civil society — whether by signing a petition, making a small donation, or volunteering. The transparency bill could go to a vote by mid-June. If passed, it could take effect three days afterwards. Euronews spoke to demonstrators at the protest. "Those in power don't care, they are working on other things. They are working to make everyone impossible. This arrogance of power, that thousands of billions of forints have to be protected at any cost – I think that's what it's all about," said an elderly man. "These protests are good to keep our spirits up", said a young girl. "We don't lose a little of our own hope, we strengthen it. In other words, even if there are no concrete consequences of the demonstration, so that a regulation is immediately changed because of it, we still reinforce each other a little here that it is still worth holding on," she explained. The march concluded at St. Gellért Square, where activists from aHang placed a large billboard-style display featuring portraits of government politicians on the construction barrier surrounding the Gellért Hotel, which is currently being renovated. The hotel is now owned by BDPST Zrt., a company linked to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's son in law István Tiborcz. The silent protests will continue Monday and Tuesday, with further demonstrations planned in other parts of Hungary. Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reported on Sunday that over a third of all Russian missile carriers have been hit in a coordinated drone attack aimed at different airfields in Russia located thousands of kilometres apart. More than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including the A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3, causing overall damage of more than €6 billion. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "Operation Spiderweb" had achieved "an absolutely brilliant result" which was "achieved solely by Ukraine." The Ukrainian president also shared more details on how the operation was carried out, explaining that 117 drones had been used, each with its own pilot. "The most interesting thing - and we can already say this publicly - is that the 'office' of our operation on Russian territory was located right next to the FSB (Federal Security Service) of Russia, in one of their regions,' he said in a post on Telegram. In a major blow to Russia's security services, Zelenskyy said Ukraine managed not only to execute the operation, but also to safely withdraw the people involved in it. They were operating "in different Russian regions - in three time zones." 'Our most long-range operation. Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time." Zelenskyy said it took Kyiv "one year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution." He thanked the head of Ukraine's Security Service, General Vasyl Malyuk, and asked him to reveal the details and results of the operation to the public. "Of course, not everything can be revealed at this moment, but these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books," he added. "Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war. Russia started this war, Russia must end it," Zelenskyy wrote. Although Ukraine's Security service has not revealed more details at this stage, Ukrainian outlets are reporting exactly how the operation was executed, referencing SBU sources. According to these reports, first-person-view (FPV) drones were smuggled deep inside Russia and hidden inside trucks in mobile wooden cabins. The cabins' roofs were then opened remotely, and the drones proceeded to launch their attack on Russian military bombers. Russia's Irkutsk Governor, Igor Kobzev, confirmed that the drones that attacked a military base in Siberia's Sredniy were launched from inside a truck. In a post on Telegram, he said that the launch site had been secured and there was no further threat to people's lives. Russian outlets also reported that other attacks were launched in a similar manner, with drones emerging from the backs of trucks. Social media footage shared widely by Russian media appears to show the drones rising from inside containers, while panels lay discarded on the road. One clip appeared to show men climbing onto a truck in an attempt to intercept the drones. In a display of the planning process of "Operation Spiderweb" Ukraine's Security Service shared a photo on Telegram of SBU head General Vasyl Malyuk looking at photos of Russian bombers and the airfields. "Operation Spiderweb" is not the first unconventional operation to be carried out by Ukraine's Security Service. In October 2022, the SBU attacked Kerch bridge, which had been illegally built by Russia after its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The explosion, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, badly damaged the bridge which links Russia-occupied Crimea and Russia. The targeting of Russian bombers, which have been carrying out massive missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, was previously considered almost unthinkable. Moscow had made sure to keep them well out of the range of Kyiv's weapons, both home-made and those supplied by allies. Olenya air base is located in Russia's Murmansk region, around 2,000 km from the border with Ukraine. Belaya air base is in Russia's Irkutsk region, in south-eastern Siberia and over 4,000 km east of the frontline. These two airfields were among the hardest-hit during Sunday's operation. Another notable aspect of the "Operation Spiderweb" was the choice of weapons. Kyiv used FPV drones, which are produced in Ukraine en masse and are widely used and appreciated by the military for their affordability. FPV drones normally only cost a few hundred dollars, while one Russian A50 radar detection aircraft, which was reportedly hit today among other planes, costs over €300 million. Ukraine's presidential advisor and former minister of strategic industries Oleksandr Kamyshin has said Ukrainian manufacturers have the capacity to produce over 5 million FPV drones per year.
Euronews
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Hungary's clampdown on Pride march sparks backlash
NGOs and human rights activists in Hungary have condemned the government's proposed clampdown on this year's Pride march in Budapest. In a speech last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hinted that his administration would crack down on the event, saying it would be "a waste of time and money" for its organisers to make their usual preparations. Then on Thursday, Gergely Gullyás, the Hungarian minister who runs Orbán's office, spoke more explicitly. 'There will be no Pride in the public form in which we have known it in recent decades," he said at a press conference. "We believe that the country should not tolerate Pride marching through the city centre." Gullyás claimed the move was being made to "protect children". Critics hit out at the government, saying the proposal was a clear breach of citizens' rights. Viktor Szalóki, the political director of the Hungarian NGO aHang, said banning the public event would violate people's rights to free assembly and expression. Meanwhile, the organisers of Budapest Pride, now in its 30th years, have vowed defiance. "There was Pride, there is Pride, and there will be Pride," they said. "Basically, we think that if the law on assembly is tampered with in any way, it would be an admission that Hungary is no longer a democracy," Zita Hrubi, the spokesperson for Budapest Pride, added. Sexual minorities have long been targeted by the Orbán government. Critics of the so-called "Child Protection Act", introduced in 2021, said it equated homosexuality with paedophilia. Since 2019, the Hungarian constitution has prohibited same-sex couples from adopting children and defines marriage as only between a man and a woman.
Euronews
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Hungary's clampdown on Pride march met with defiance
NGOs and human rights activists in Hungary have condemned the government's proposed clampdown on this year's Pride march in Budapest. In a speech last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hinted that his administration would crack down on the event, saying it would be "a waste of time and money" for its organisers to make their usual preparations. Then on Thursday, Gergely Gullyás, the Hungarian minister who runs Orbán's office, spoke more explicitly. 'There will be no Pride in the public form in which we have known it in recent decades," he said at a press conference. "We believe that the country should not tolerate Pride marching through the city centre." Gullyás claimed the move was being made to "protect children". Critics hit out at the government, saying the proposal was a clear breach of citizens' rights. Viktor Szalóki, the political director of the Hungarian NGO aHang, said banning the public event would violate people's rights to free assembly and expression. Meanwhile, the organisers of Budapest Pride, now in its 30th years, have vowed defiance. "There was Pride, there is Pride, and there will be Pride," they said. "Basically, we think that if the law on assembly is tampered with in any way, it would be an admission that Hungary is no longer a democracy," Zita Hrubi, the spokesperson for Budapest Pride, added. Sexual minorities have long been targeted by the Orbán government. Critics of the so-called "Child Protection Act", introduced in 2021, said it equated homosexuality with paedophilia.
Euronews
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Hungary's homophobic ban of the annual Gay Pride march met with defiance
Human rights activists and civil rights NGOs in Hungary have condemned the government's ban on gay pride parades in the country. After much speculation, the government on Thursday announced that gay pride parades 'will not take place in a public form' this year. It was not explained how a march of thousands of people could be held in a private setting. It was also stated at Thursday's government briefing that the Gay Pride Day parade, in its current form, will not exist in the future. "They want people to deal with this now, but we see alongside it the threat and fear-mongering that they are obviously trying to play on in this situation," explained Viktor Szalóki, political director of aHang, a civil society advocacy group. Viktor Orbán had told the organisers of Budapest Pride in his annual assessment on 22 February that they should not bother preparing this year's parade, describing it as "a waste of money and energy." According to Viktor Szalóki, this was a kind of "disenfranchisement and a violation of the rights of people who want to freely exercise their right to assembly or expression, and now their rights will be violated". Since Orban's speech last week, Gergely Gullyás, Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, and János Lázár, Minister of Construction and Transport, have announced that such events would not be held this year, quelling rumours it could be held indoors. 'There will be no Pride in the public form in which we have known it in recent decades. We believe that the country should not tolerate Pride marching through the city centre," Gulyás said at the government's weekly press conference. "The government's intention is clearly to protect children, and we believe that Pride marching through the city centre, now that the US ambassador can no longer lead it, should not be tolerated by the country," Gulyas added. Organisers of Budapest Pride, now in its 30th year, have vowed defiance, stating: "There was Pride, there is Pride, and there will be Pride." "As usual, the Prime Minister was a bit flowery; there was no specific message in his speech," says Zita Hrubi, the press spokeswoman for Budapest Pride. "Basically, we think that if the law on assembly is tampered with in any way, it would be an admission that Hungary is no longer a democracy." Sexual minorities have long been a target of the Orbán government. The so-called "Child Protection Act," introduced in 2021, deliberately equates homosexuality with paedophilia, sparking outrage across Europe. Since 2019, the Hungarian constitution has prohibited same-sex couples from adopting children and defines marriage as only between a man and a woman.
