Eastland Cup Online: January 2015

Jan 5, 2015

Keep calm and do the job NOW! - stage, backstage and background of recent Hungarian protests

Some foreign media compares Hungary to Ukraine, while Hungarian media criticize the skills and performance and often the objectives of the speakers and organizers of last months protests. Main speaker, Zsolt Várady retreats behind the desktop to dos his job. So will the New Year bring New Hungary, like last Friday speakers in front of the Opera wish?

The main objective of the new social initiative MostMI (NOW WE) is, to explore the real issues of Hungarian society and propose real, long term solutions, redefining the role of politics and building up a new country, another Hungary.

The recent proposals on internet tax, or on the prohibition of Sunday shopping, renamed “prohibition of work on Sundays”, the idea of a mandatory drug test for teenage students, hurt especially the citizen privacy, daily lifestyle and family life and suppose that Hungarians were unable to develop own reflections and bring responsible decisions. Are they?

Keep calm and do the job! -Várady retreats

One of the main figures of recent demonstration is Zsolt Várady, and first speaker of last Friday evening is the founder of the discontinued Hungarian social networking site iWiW. He started a fight for the improvement of taxing morale in Hungary. October the 10th, he sued all Hungarian parties that ever got in Parliament since the change of regime in Hungary in 1990, accusing them by having established a system of taxation where “it is impossible to run a business without becoming a tax avoider and tax cheater” and starting a business equals a suicide.

He is also co-founder of the social initiative MostMi organizing today’s demonstration in front of the beautiful neo-renaissance building of The Hungarian State Opera House.

This Sunday, however, he announced on his facebook page that due to time constraints he stops being an organizer of MostMi events and limits his supporting activity to the construction of the new social media website that is aimed to galvanize civil self-organization.

He emphasize that his decision is not a result of the the critics and has not been made on political pressure.

Jan 3, 2015

Happy New Year- Happy New Hungary : "Democracy Construction Workers" on the stage

Standing in the rain, in front of the Opera house, attending an anti-governmental demonstration already on 2nd day of the year 2015? Crazy Hungarians. 2015 for Budapest started with a public demonstration in front of the State Opera House in Andrassy Avenue on the 2nd of January at 6 p.m. Their common cause is to build up a new generation in politics based on participatory democracy and they refuse being a satellite of any existing party in Hungary.

Director of the Institute Eötvös Károly, Bernadette Somody came with her son, who was probably the person who most enjoyed the event.

Before the live speeches protesters could listen to registered speeches of both present and former PM Vktor Orbán and Ferenc Gyurcsány and some symbolic pop song from 1989.

8 speakers told the public their reason of being there and the causes they want to fight for.
First speaker, was quit brief. Zsolt Várady, expert in social media announced that his new website new website helping civil organizations to function in participatory democracy will be son launched.
He outlined the importance of waking society consciousness, asking questions and admitting that the state is not supposed to think instead of citizens.

Organizers of the current series of demonstrations emphasize that their objective is to change the basic attitude in politics and regularly call parties to leave their symbols at home. So did they this time.

But some anti-European demonstrators appeared.

As this was a pro-European demonstration, riot police took measures to separate these young men waiving an EU flag with a big NO in the middle.

Following Zsolt Várady, director of the Institute Eötvös Károly, Bernadette Somodyspoke about the importnace of a good constitution that is "able to protect itself".

coworkers: Tessza Udvarhelyi cultural anthropologist and Zsolt Csizi former worker at steel factory now unemployed and homeless

Tessza Udvarhelyi cultural anthropologist born and raised in the capital in a well off family and Zsolt Csizi former worker at Miskolc steel factory now unemployed and homeless in Budapest both appreciate working together for their common causes: housing, democracy and solidarity.

Gábor Vágó, a former deputee of the Green party LMP told that the current government is doomed to fail, but it is not enough to criticize the current system, it is time to build another, spending time and money on building it. He told it is not enough to share an event, or an article on facebook.