Homeless shelter in Hungary. Photo by Boroka Feher

Cleared out of bridge underpasses, hiding in underground stations, finding refugein forests, the homeless people of Budapest feel they are being treated as fugitives onthe run. This has FEANSTA, the European Federation of Nation Organizations workingwith the homeless, expressing concerns over concerted attacks in Hungary. The countryis seeking punitive measures against dumpster-diving and street sleeping and FEANTSAforesees this leading to the criminalization of the homeless.

Most of the focus on the growing trend to enforce laws that will lead to theimprisonment of the homeless is falling on the shoulders of István Tarlós, mayor ofBudapest. Tarlós has said, “those who believe that all problems would be solved ifhomeless people were given housing […] are mistaken.”The Mayor of Budapest believes his city is following the strict regulations setforth by other European nations that include Austria, the United Kingdom, France,Spain, Germany, and Holland. FEANSTA has countered with evidence that eventhough many European nations apply strict rules for services that grant the homelessfunding and support, there are no laws in those countries that threaten significant fines orimprisonment as in Hungary.Boróka Fehér, Representative of Tizek Társasága, an umbrella organization ofBudapest homeless service providers, said that after his election last October Tarlós declared a “Program of Public Reconciliation.”

“Although the program was never fully developed in written form, its mostobvious element was the clearing of 13 of busiest inner city underpasses of roughsleepers,” said Fehér. “Without any additional financial support offered, he orderedthese underpasses to be cleared, meaning that after a period of 30 days, while outreachworkers tried to offer accommodation to the people they had registered as living in thoseunderpasses, the police moved in and sent rough sleepers outside.

Hundreds demonstrated against the growing criminalization of homelessness. Photo by Fuggetlen Hirugynokseg

”There was no legal framework to back up the clearing out of the underpasses.Some Hungarian human right watch groups and Fehér claimed it to be a violation andfelt it was propaganda, as only the underpasses most frequented by tourist were clearedout. Fehér’s main concern was that there was no viable solutions to the homeless that hadbeen displaced and left them to the limited option of moving on to the underpasses thathad yet to be raided.Part of problem is the opaqueness of an amendment passed by the HungarianParliament in the autumn of 2010, which defines the functions of public places andallows the municipalities to create a criminal offence for the use of public places ifthe use is not in line with its functions. Stefánia Kapronczay, of the Hungarian CivilLiberties Union, said, “The justification of the amendment revealed the real purposeof it, which is charging homeless people for sleeping in public places and usingthem “inappropriately”.”

“Before this amendment coming into force the Mayor of Budapest announced hisproject to clear the inner city of Budapest and terminated the contract with those NGOsinvolved in services provided for homeless people,” said Kapronczay. “The municipalityof Budapest introduced its decree on the non-conform use of public places anddefined “residing in public spaces” as a criminal offense. People who live on the publicplaces as a life style or to store their belongings used for living there can be charged witha fine up to 50,000 HUF (216 USD).”Tarlós confronts these allegations and claims Budapest is in accord with otherWestern European countries concerning issues of public space rules, homeless rights andregulations. “Even the liberal Netherlands has got more consistent and more explicit rulesthan Budapest,” said Tarlós.

“I think that the interests of the majority of the citizens of Budapest count morethan the opinion of various ill-informed organizations who are not aware of the realsituation or who are inaccurately informed.” He added, “They are not responsible for thiscity, while I am.”“We only criminalize what is criminal. Homeless people too have to abide bythe law and rules of human coexistence,” said Tarlós regarding on how his city treats thehomeless.Tarlós’s evaluation of Budapest’s homeless situation and solutions may bedistorted by comparing his tactics against those of other European nations. “I think Tarlósis not aware of what is happening in other European cities,” said Fehér.

“Some of hiscolleagues might have visited a huge shelter in London or Paris, and now think that this isall there is, but it is obviously not the case.”The homeless shelters in Budapest are overcrowded and dilapidated, according toFehér. “There are [shelters] where people have to sleep in huge dormitories of 12-20-50people. There are still some, where there are bugs that bite and carry infections.”Funding for homeless shelters has been going down in the past few years andmany shelters are struggling for survival and don’t have the money to offer moreattractive services, according to Fehér. “There is only one service in Budapest offeringindividual bedrooms, and there are only a few offering double rooms for couples. Theirmodernization would cost a considerable amount of money.”In October Tarlós proclaimed that Budapest would open new host sites andshelters for the homeless and would follow through on a proposal passed by the GeneralAssembly of Budapest in August to establish and renovate three shelters in the city’s 4th,1st, and 8th districts.“It is true that we build and establish new homeless shelters. We provide hundredsof millions for this,” said Tarlós.

“Furthermore, we also provide working opportunitiesfor the homeless through our public service companies who are already employing morethan 400 homeless people.”The mayor’s primary objective is to achieve a state where homeless people cansleep in human conditions and not out in the streets, and provide an opportunity so thatthe homeless can work, which he believes will promote their integration into society in asignificant way.The widespread affront against the homeless seems to be bottlenecking inBudapest’s notorious 8th district. The 8th district is traditionally the poorest district of thecity and heaviest hit by all kinds of social problems. The area has one of the highest ratesof unemployment and school dropouts.

There also a number of elderly people scraping byon meager pensions.Máté Kocsis is the mayor of the 8th district, a member of FIDEZ the samepolitical party as Tarlós, and Fehér sarcastically deems him “the party’s expert onhomelessness.”“Máté Kocsis would like to make the district a yuppie one, and is doing all hecan to ensure this,” said Fehér. New development projects in the 8th district are leadingto the displacement of homeless people, and instead of revitalizing neighborhoods andencouraging a social mix, Kocsis has tried to push poor people out of the center of thedistrict.The opening of a 24/7 booking center exclusively for the homeless in the 8thdistrict in October has riled many in the community. It has been set up to deliver peoplewho have been caught in the act of rough sleeping, or looking through the contents of agarbage bin, or who are caught smoking or drinking alcohol in a forbidden place.

Fehérsees this as hypocritical, “The 8th district has forbidden smoking in certain public placesin the district, mostly in the slum areas, while smoking in public is still allowed in theyuppie restaurant district and squares frequented by students.”The booking center is seen as a tool for penalizing and harassing thehomeless. “The booking center is a police station in reality, where police bring peoplefor ‘questioning’ and then either send them away with a warning, or give them a ticket.”Fehér added, “There have been people who were brought in for questioning every singleday, as they persisted in sleeping rough. Informally, the police were told to advisehomeless people to go and sleep in one of the other districts.

”Recently demonstrations have been held to oppose what people have deemed theunconstitutional and inhumane treatment of the homeless in their city. A group called TheCity is for All marched in the streets on 17, October to stop a government proposal toincrease fines and imprisonment on people who are found residing in public places. Up toa thousand people attended the demonstration, which ended dramatically when hundredsof people lay down on the street in front of the Parliament building, while other activistdressed as police officers tried to drag them off to jail. For the demonstrators, laws thatpunish the homeless for not having housing are not the solution.“I think it is shameful that the 8th district has spent much more on its campaignof criminalizing homeless people than what they spend on services for the homelessthemselves,” said Fehér.

Fehér believes Budapest can start reversing the trend of targeting the homeless bytaking a first step with a minimalist solution that would begin with affordable single unitoccupancies. “At the moment there are 300 plus such units in Budapest, and the waitinglist is more than a year long, for a small bedroom, with shared kitchen and bathroomfacilities.”Ending homelessness is the only solution for making sure mistreatment doesnot continue. “We urge the preparation of a strategy on homelessness. Such a strategyshall focus on prevention and provide effective ways out of homelessness,” saidKapronczay. “In our (Hungarian Civil Liberties Union) opinion staying at a shelter canonly be considered as temporary solution.”Meanwhile politicians have welcomed the homeless to shovel snow this winter inorder for them to earn some money to rent their own places.

“I think it is shameful thatyoung men who have been politicians and worn suits all their lives are running wholedistricts and evicting or harassing people much older than them who are down on theirluck,” said Fehér. “These young men call on the value of honest work, while they havebeen earning at least 10 times the minimal wage all their lives and have never knownwhat it is like to have no money or not be able to pay the rent.”Demonstrators will continue to protest the passing of bills that will further lead tothe criminalization of the homeless. They march carrying signs that read “Habitat Insteadof Prison” and “The Poor are not Criminals.”

Hungary are said to be a strange nation. Allegedly three Hungarians can run in four different directions, but when injustice hurts their dignity they become tight-knit, perhaps now more than any other nation in the 21st Century, even digging up skeletons of their past.

Magyars in Bratislava, Paris, Bucharest and Subotica on Saturday (June 4, 2011) were in full support of the Hungarian World Alliance’s (MVSz) visit to Paris, in commemorating the 91st anniversary of the infamous unjust Treaty of Trianon. The MVSz reportedly called on all Hungarians worldwide to unite and commemorate the day, now known as the “national day of unity.”

The Treaty of Trianon was the pseudo-peace agreement signed on June 4, 1920, following World War I. It re-drew the borders of former greater Hungary (that was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire) to deprive Hungary of some 70% of its land territory. Ironically Austrians -the rulers of the empire – were never really deprived of any of their national territory.

Decision makers stole some 230,000 sq km of Hungarian land, reducing the Magyar territory from 325,111 km sq (125,526 sq mi) to 93,073 sq km (35,936 sq mi). Above this more than 60% of the Magyar population were displaced, waking up in a new neighboring country to which they were allocated to overnight. It was also the founding of the Slovakian nation, which until then never existed historically.

Of the 20.9-mil Hungarians Hungary’s population was left with merely 7.6-mil. Greater Hungary was robbed of five of its ten biggest cities, access to the Mediterranean sea and man valuable natural resources. Nationalists now cry “Nem, nem, soha…” No, no, never…” when asked to forget the past ailments and move on in the 21st Century.

Many of the commemorating you arrived to various locations carrying the so-called Arpad striped banner, a horizontally striped red and white banned, which the American war of independence also used and latter integrated in their United States of America flag. One participant said, “This banner is our national legacy and unity of our nation.” He added, “Sadly radical fascist groups have also claim ownership of this banner.” True many so-called Nemzeti Garda (NG) members, in full dress (banned in Hungary) attended the events throughout Europe. One of the events was marred by NG leader Jozsef Inancsi who demanded a revision of the Treaty of Trianon, despite the fact that the Hungarian Government has finalised and registered that it has no territorial claims. Inancsi has vowed not to rest and is collecting signatures for a future referendum to review the infamous French decision.

On a more subtle note Miklos Patrubany, President of MVSz, said that Hungary belongs to everyone who considers themselves Hungarian, no matter where they may be living in the world. Ultimately he wanted all 15 million Hungarians world wide to have the right to cast their vote on Hungarian issues, whether they live in Hungary or not.

The late Ferenc Madl (President of Hungary between Aug 4, 2000 – Aug 5, 2005) has passed away at the ripe old age of 80 on May 29, 2011, based on a press release made by the State Presidency.

He was the President supervising the offices of three Hungarian Prime Ministers, namely Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Peter Medgyessy and Ferenc Gyurcsany. Madl’s voting into office in 2000 caused a major European scandal as the Hungarian Parliament, which had allegedly come to a consensus about his appointment was forced to vote three times as the majority socialist and free democratic alliance MPs declined his appointment twice. Eventually he was appointed as there was no other candidate available, political analysts said.

They added it was during Madl’s office (he was the second President of the third Republic of Hungary) domestic politics saw the most fanatic dog-fighting left and right of the regime. While the Socialist party (under the leadership of Laszlo Kovacs) were in a political fued against the centre-right opposition party Fidesz. They also staged a political coup and ousted legally elected PM Peter Medgyessy to replace him with illegal appointee and political playboy Ferenc Gyurcsany.

Political analysts agree that Gyurcsany caused the worst hostility, in-fighting and party corruption Hungarians had ever witnessed in living memory.

Despite the hardships and political challenges, Madl stood his ground and was even awarded the Gold Medal of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe (for his commitment to peace, liberty, justice and solidarity in Europe) on Nov 8, 2002. Madl was also an Honorary Co-Chair for the World Justice Project that leads a global, multi-disciplinary task force to strengthen the rule of law in the development of international communities.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is said to have made major preparations with a double whammy for his 48th birthday (he was allegedly born on May 31, 1963) in Budapest after his favourite team FC Barcelona won the 2010/2011 UEFA Champions League on Saturday (May 28), a source close to his government told Budapest Report on Sunday.

Orban was reportedly said to have commented that no club team had ever “given a hiding” to Manchester United FC like the one FC Barcelona did after it thrashed the Red Devils 3:1 at the New Wembley Stadium in London. Orban had allegedly received a complimentary ticket and was able to witness the match live.

He was also allowed to shake the hands of his icons alongside UEFA President Michel Platini, watched by hundreds of millions of football fans worldwide. Political anaysts say that he couldn’t have received better political advertising for his future ambitions as an EU politician as Hungary is currently heading the presidency of the European Union.

Orban, an avid footballer himself (having earlier officially played for Felcsut FC and the Hungarian Parliamentary government team, was said to have been mesmerized by the fact that his namesake countryman Viktor Kassai, was chosen to referee the 90+3 minute match, in which Argentine-born Lionel Messi was awarded the title, man of the match (scoring 53 goals in the season of which 12 were during the UEFA Championship league).

In Hungary PM Orban is referred to as the “Magyar Messi” of Hungarian politics after (as head of the centre-right party FIDESZ) he played tactically to sweep way the general elections last spring.

The Hungarian Socialist Party is anticipating snap elections, based on intelligence gathered from Fidesz circles, President Attila Mesterhazy said on Monday, according to daily Nepszava. To prepare, the party has launched a new initiative – Mestarhazy says a network of several thousand socialist activists will be the new reality in Hungary. “Fidesz will be confronted in every town by the resistance of our local activists, ” the President claimed.

The Socialists are also boycotting the drafting of the constitution, to be adopted on April 18, saying it is based solely on the values of the governing parties and lacks broad social support. Mesterhazy cited a recent poll showing that 62 percent of voters now believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. “Things are going badly in social and economic policy, democracy and political style,” he said.

The Robin Hood Action Squad, formed on Monday by the NGO group ‘White Chimney Sweepers’ (WCS), pledged to put an end to evictions of families in Hungary due to (allegedly) fraudulent mortgages, daily Magyar Hirlap reported.

WCS President Tamas Dabasi claimed that Hungarian authorities have so far failed to put an end to “white collar crime.” Dabasi warned those involved in unlawful evictions: the new action squad will stand up to anyone harassing Hungarian families, including debt collectors and “professional” eviction groups.

He added that the Action Squad will go to any length within legal boundaries to reacquire confiscated property.

Due to a major rise in criminal offences committed in the Republic of Hungary in 2010, the National Police (ORFK) have pledged to almost double the force – a source at ORFK told Budapest Report.

He was referring to a speech made by ORFK top brass Jozsef Hatala, at a convention on Monday (February 14, 2011) where he made an assessment of Hungarian crime statistics for the year 2010. It is believed that while the criminal underworld is strong in Budapest and its surrounding counties, the majority of criminal offenses were carried out in Hungary’s north-eastern county (Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg).

On average there were allegedly some 4,000 crimes against every 100,000 members of the population, of which at least 50% were considered serious crimes. Hungary has a population of about 10-million and in the north-eastern part of the country the unemployment rate is reportedly nearly 40%.

This is also the most populated Gypsy (Roma) area and the region is bordered by Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania, from where allegedly criminals are arriving to and from Hungary.

Leading real estate developer (and allegedly the richest man in Hungary), Sandor Demjan, said the “international environment” could assimilate Hungary soon without improvement in employment and production statistics. This could mean the disappearance of the country as we know it, he said.

Demjan said the new development scheme named after the greatest Hungarian, Count Szechenyi, will play a key role in whether the necessary measures can be taken, although a quick execution in necessary.

Regarding the pressure placed on multinationals in Hungary, he said the steps taken by the Orban cabinet have been appropriate. “They won’t leave because of the crisis taxes,” he argued, although adding that boycotting multinational retail giants (an initiative of the radical right) is “silly.”

He also called for reduction of ineffective social expenses and the execution of structural reforms, both of which are controversial measures on the political right and have attracted critical remarks from economists such as Laszlo Bogar, who argues that structural reforms would benefit corporate interests instead of the Hungarian population.

State prosecution on Thursday filed charges against former communist Interior Minister Bela Biszku, for “denial of the crimes of national socialist and communist regimes.” The charges are based on an August interview with Biszku, where he denied the ’56 Hungarian Revolution and claimed that he had personally “restored order” during his term as Minister, following the crushing of the Hungarian uprising against communism.

Previously, state prosecution rejected a complaint filed against the former Minister for orchestrating retribution against Hungarian Revolutionaries, saying the alleged crimes have expired. Biszku could face a 3-year sentence at most, according to a June 8 amendment to the criminal code.

Concerning developments in the state of Hungarian democracy, human rights and rule of law are set to be scrutinized by the European Council’s regular ‘current affairs debate’ session on Wednesday, according to Hungarian media, despite the fact that the Goulash Nation is the currently acting President of the the European Union.

The probe was proposed by Swiss MEP Andreas Gross, a democracy expert and member of the Swiss EC delegation since 1995.

According to index.hu, Gross’s proposal was slammed by several MEPs, including Polish Dariusz Lipinski, who argued that Hungarian democracy is in a “good state.” Lipinski suggested that the EC should focus on more urgent issues at hand, such as Belarussia and Tunesia.

The European Council is the regular meetings of the heads of state in the European Union, responsible for defining the general political direction and priorities of the Union.

Liberal economist and MEP Lajos Bokros on Thursday ‘renounced’ the Hungarian Democratic Pary (MDF – now outside the parliament and in shambles) saying he is only accountable directly; to his voters. The statement follows a warning from MDF President Zsolt Makay, who told Magyar Hirlap that the party will be considering recalling Bokros from the European Parliament in February.

Makay pointed out: Bokros has neglected the party since his election last year, and has failed to approve a single one of his parliamentary speeches with party officials. The President confirmed Bokros’s claims, saying the MEP will keep his mandate, despite the possible disciplinary procedure against him.

Bokros was also the MDF’s candidate for the position of Prime Minister of Hungary during the 2010 Hungarian parliamentary elections. He was Minister of Finance between 1995–1996.

Amid painful criticism from international media targeting recent reforms, the Hungarian Government on Monday launched its term as President of the Council of the European Union. After a preliminary festivities, more celebrations are scheduled for Jan 6 in the Parliament despite negative international “PR” recently attracted by pension, tax, constitutional and national bank reforms.

Shouldering the harshest criticism, the new media law has come under fire from German, UK, Polish, Spanish, Slovak and Czech media. Luxemburg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn slammed the new law, saying the legislation put Hungary on par with Belarus and that it raised the question of whether Hungary was worthy of holding the rotating presidency of the EU. “The plans clearly violate the spirit and the letter of EU treaties,” Jean Asselborn told newswire Reuters.

The Hungarian Government refuted the claims, saying that the criticism directed at the media law are vague generalizations. The Government communication portal kormanyszovivo.hu has published and extensive response to international media in English.

Several NGOs protested on Sunday against pension reform saying the Government is desperately forcing its citizens to leave their private pension funds for a state account so the budget can be sustained, despite officials claiming that the move is voluntary.

PM Viktor Orban in a Facebook video message reacted that the move intends to alleviate excessive state debt. Orban claimed that citizens’ pension security will increase under state administration. He added that Hungarians should have faith in the Government, which intends to shed excessive state debt by enacting its current economic policy, and provide assurances for an adequate pension plan for current workers.

According to the proposal, transferees to a state pension account will compensated for any losses incurred at their private funds, while those with excess savings can withdraw their funds tax-free.

Continued support post-election is virtually unheard of in Hungary, according to analysts, but the Government has kept its two-thirds majority fully intact, several recent polls show.

It’s no surprise, according to Government Spokesperson Anna Nagy who on Tuesday said the cabinet’s first “semester” has been characterized by dynamic decision making including 80 decrees, 131 rulings and 70 laws. “The goal was to put the economy back on its feet,” Nagy said, highlighting the corporate tax cut, the Szechenyi card and new employment initiatives.

The latter will include up to 8 months’ tax and social security cuts for companies employing “disadvantaged” workers on a 12 month contract, Junior Minister for Employment Policy Sandor Czomba said. He added that employers can now turn to state employment offices, where up to 10,000 employees are available – supported financially and through training.

Experts have welcomed the Hungarian Government’s initiative to boost basic education. Less than a decade ago an independent European survey showed that Hungarian children under the age of 15 barely understand what they are reading.

This reportedly caught the attention of the education experts who under the current centre-right government have pledged to boost education and put Hungary back on the international map of excellence. Proposals include the fact that teachers will have less hours teaching and more hours preparing for their subjects and expanding their own knowledge. Teachers with a masters degree will reportedly only teach a weekly 19 hours, while other qualified teachers will be asked to serve 21.

Grade ‘R’ each teacher will have maximum 15 students, while primary school teachers will have maximum 20 and highschool masters will have 25 pupils to cater for. Experts welcomed the news with relief after the former social-liberal government closed down schools and merged others swelling classes to between 30 and even 40 pupils in some cases, earlier reports said. Currently Hungary is considered to be the world’s leading nation concerning the number of Nobel prize winners per country per capita.

After appointing the “three faces of Hungary” representing the nation during the 2011 EU Presidency (pictured), preparations for spearheading the European Union entered full swing on Wednesday as several members of the Hungarian Government visited Brussels to finalize key policy aspects.

PM Viktor Orban is set to meet with EC President Herman van Rompuy and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and will travel to Paris on Thursday to be received by President Nicolas Sarkozy and PM Francois Fillion.

On Friday, Orban is attending the Lisbon NATO summit, which is followed by NATO-Russia bilateral talks. On Monday, the PM is scheduled to visit Maltan Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

Hungary’s Justice Ministry is in talks with their Canadian counterparts to discuss the immigration of Gypsies from Eastern Europe, sources close to the minister revealed in Budapest on Thursday. The two partners are believed to discuss ways of permitting Hungarian Gypsies to enjoy the social system and hospitality of the Canadian people.

It is believed that Gypsies from Hungary will no longer be treated and discriminated as second class citizens when travelling from Hungary to Canada and will be allowed to acquire their visas for free. The Canadian Embassy in Budapest has reportedly voiced their concern that an increasing number of Hungarian Gypsies have abused the goodwill of the Canadian people by failing to comply with the rules and regulations of international travellers to the country.

There have also been uncountable reported cases of Hungarian Gypsies seeking economic and political asylum in Canada, claiming that the European Union has brought them only more hardship and increased unemployment alongside the already existing alleged intolerance and prejudice against Gypsies in their homeland. The Canadian authorities have allegedly rejected hundreds of applications for refugee status, fearing that a large number of the applicants could be from a pool of criminals who want to illegally emigrate from Europe.

The Hungarian Government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reportedly expressed that it his will do all in its power to weaken the jurisdiction of the Hungarian Constitutional Court (HCC). Ironically the previous president of Hungary happened to be an ex-HCC judge.

The ruling party, FIDESZ, a week ago suggested that it wants to “revamp” the Hungarian Constitution in its attempt to get away with budgetary issues, unsupervised and un-vetoed. FIDESZ claims that the HCC is adamant about many “old rules” no longer in line with modern fiscal standards.

In October 2010 the HCC unanimously annulled Orban’s government proposal of an alleged 98% tax on severance payouts above a capped amount. The ruling party was compelled to resubmit its bill proposal after HCC’s veto, but pledged to rewrite the constitution as soon as possible so that HCC would not interfere with future budgetary issues.

Romania is said to be piggy-back riding the Hungarian presidency of the European Union in 2011. Hungary has reportedly pledged to help Romania join the troublesome EU’s Schengen agreement, and allow the freedom of movement for all Romanian citizens within the European Union. One of the major issues on the agenda between the two presidents was the topic of the treatment of minorities in both countries.

The Hungarian president requested Hungarians, living in Romania, to behave like proper Romanian citizens and abide to all Romanian laws without question and in turn they would enjoy the rights that come with being a minority in Romania.