Steven N.Protests against the government’s changes to the KATA tax scheme continued for the third day in Budapest, with the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party (MKKP) organizing a “bridge occupation barbeque party” on Thursday evening.
The party’s two co-chairs were arrested at dawn on Thursday for taking part in the previous day’s protests, but were later released.
MKKP began its protest on the Pest side of Erzsébet Bridge at 6:30pm. Only a few dozen protesters were present at the start of the event, and they didn’t interfere with road traffic. But their numbers soon grew, and at 7:00pm the MKKP’s so-called “party wagon” turned crossways to completely block traffic leading to the bridge.
The demonstration continued as police shut the bridge down but did not intervene. However, police checked IDs of those painting on the road, and detained a protestor who refused to remove their mask.
During the protest, Péter Márki-Zay announced a demonstration on Saturday at 5:00pm at Budapest’s Jászai Mari Square. The former prime ministerial candidate for the united opposition said that it didn’t even take a hundred days to find out that all of the claims made by Fidesz during the campaign were lies. According to the Facebook event, it will be a “civil protest against Orbán’s lies and for Orbán’s victims.”
Shortly after 10:00pm on Thursday, the Dog Party’s emcee encouraged the remaining protestors to remain at Erzsébet Bridge until daylight and obstruct morning traffic. [444, HVG, Telex]
