VIDEO Protest in Budapest, after the statements of a minister to the Roma: “The government hates it”
Roma protest in Budapest. Video capture Népszava Online
Several hundred people gathered in Budapest on Saturday, to a background of Roma music, to demand the resignation of the Hungarian Minister of Transport after his claims about the Roma, who should – according to him – “clean the dirty toilets” from the trains, reports France Presse and Agerpres.
Janos Lazar's words sparked outrage in the context of the upcoming April 12 election, in which independent polls put the opposition ahead of the party of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has ruled the country for nearly 16 years.
A few demonstrators could also be seen near the Hungarian parliament at the start of the protest in cold and rainy weather.
“They do all this for fear of losing power. When they need us, we are the 'good Roma' they give as an example, and when they don't need us, we are 'criminal Roma',” Gusztav Lakatos told AFP. For this 38-year-old construction worker, Lazar's words “go beyond all limits this time.”
“I'm not Roma, but we can't turn a blind eye. Lazar must resign,” intervenes Barbara Budafoki, a 53-year-old teacher, reproaching the government for “so much hatred.”
Orban's party could be penalized at the polls
Janos Lazar had expressed himself in a public meeting, during the campaign for the legislative elections, against the background of the labor shortage in Hungary, a country closed to refugees.
Although he had apologised, the minister was targeted by protesting demonstrators during a rally on Thursday.
Often victims of discrimination, the Roma constitute the largest national minority in Hungary, with around 7% of the country's 9.5 million inhabitants.
Some political analysts estimate that Lazar's remarks could penalize Orban's conservative coalition at the polls, after it was massively supported in the last election.
Balint Horvath, a 22-year-old salesman, wants to believe that “this bunch of amateurs” will be “sent home in April” and that “whoever committed the crimes will be held to account”.
