Court rules unions can hold two-day demonstration on October 1 weekend

A Budapest court on Tuesday upheld a police ban of a four-day trade union demonstration against the government’s planned changes to the labour code which had been planned to start on September 29.

At the same time it ruled that unions can go ahead with demonstrations over the weekend of October 1 and 2 but along a different route.

Police banned the demonstration planned to crossed the Chain Bridge, saying traffic disruption would be excessive.

Opposition parties suggested the ban had been imposed under political pressure. The LIGA trade union association told MTI earlier that it was not right to limit the freedom of assembly on the premise that it causes disruption, as, among others, “this is the very aim of a peaceful protest”.

The court ruling said the demonstration would violate the rights of people who did not wish to participate by causing them to wait for several hours.

Some 70 unions and civil organisations announced on September 8 that they had jointly prepared a 9-point petition which includes work-related proposals such as calls for fair taxation, a ban on retroactive legislation, restoring genuine dialogue with employment representatives, protection for workers near retirement age and securing pension rights. Their planned action, dubbed D-Day, was to include a sit-down strike in Budapest, a rally in the area surrounding Parliament, and nationwide road blocks.