#Hungary 'is not Orbán’s personal fiefdom'

Major protests are still ongoing in Hungary against the crackdown on civil liberties and the erosion of the rule of law by the governing authorities. People first took to the street last week after the adoption of the so-called ‘slavery law’ that allows employers to issue 400 hours of overtime to employees per year that can be disbursed over a period of three years.  

The Greens/EFA co-president and European Green Party leading co-candidate Ska Keller said:   “The slavery bill may be the spark that lit the fuse, but this is part of a gradual erosion of civil liberties and the rule of law in Hungary that must be stopped.

“We hope the message by the thousands of people on the streets of Budapest is getting through.  Hungary is not Orbán’s personal fiefdom and the democratic will of the people must be respected.”

Dutch MEP and European Green Party leading co-candidate Bas Eickhout said: “We give our full support to all those in Hungary that are backing democracy over autocratic rule. It is unacceptable that opposition figures demonstrating peacefully have been treated so aggressively, including some MPs who were denied access to public media.  Their demands are entirely legitimate and cannot be ignored.

“The EU is based on the recognition of fundamental human rights and we must defend them unrelentingly, starting with backing the infringement procedure outlined in the Sargentini report.”

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