About 1,500 demonstrators gathered in front of Hungary’s media regulator to protest against the broadcast of biased news and propaganda in favor of the country’s populist government.
The demonstrators demanded the replacement of the head of the media corporation MTVA and dignified coverage of the mass protests recently held by Hungarian teachers and students.
The protest, baptized with the slogan “Stop the factory of lies”, was called by opposition MPs and former members of the ruling party, FIDESZ, known for their stance against corruption.
The protesters declared that the Hungarian government has created a “propaganda machine” that has repeatedly refused to guarantee space for opposition voices and that has only defended the policies of the ruling party.
“In a normal country, the public media follows strict rules to allow the opposition and government opinions to be represented in the same way and with the same quality”, declared MP Akos Hadhazy.
He pointed out that, as long as this propaganda machine works, the government can do virtually anything.
The Hungarian government, under the leadership of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán since 2010, has been repeatedly accused of eradicating media freedom and regressing the checks and balances of institutions.