Blackmail, Revolt, Lamp Posts: The Left Has Had Enough of Democracy

In recent years, several left-wing politicians and public figures in Hungary have openly discussed suspending the rule of law, applying street-level pressure, and even the need for physical force. Origo has now compiled the most well-known cases—from Zoltan Fleck through Andras Fekete-Gyor, all the way to Ferenc Gyurcsany.

Andras Fekete-Gyor at a protest in front of Parliament (Photo: Magyar Nemzet)

It's not uncommon for members of the opposition—politicians and public figures from the leftist-liberal camp—to call for some form of violence or street protests. The Origo news portal has collected those left-wing politicians and opinion leaders who have openly spoken in recent years about the necessity of such actions.

Zoltan Fleck, Peter Barandy, Gyorgy Magyar, Imre Voros

The list starts with Zoltan Fleck, whose involvement in subversive activities did not begin when, at a recent event hosted by Peter Magyar's Tisza Party, he declared: “We need a revolution, not just a change in government,”and that “even blackmail and threats should be used to pressure the president of the Republic to form a new government.”

According to Zoltan Fleck, a revolution is needed. (Photo: MTI /Szilard Koszticsak)

According to Fleck and his fellow legal colleagues—former socialist Justice Minister Peter Barandy, lawyer Gyorgy Magyar, and former constitutional judge Imre Voros—

"temporarily" suspending the rule of law can be an acceptable political tool for achieving certain goals.

If anyone was wondering why no legal accountability was enforced at the time, they might feel vindicated now: Fleck has been reported to the authorities by Tamas Lanczi, head of Hungary's Sovereignty Protection Office, for allegedly threatening the president of the country. In his Facebook post, Lanczi wrote that Fleck endangered the constitutional order.

Fleck and his legal circle’s actions are described as part of the subversive leftist-liberal campaign in he run-up to the 2022 elections, which Origo claims was coordinated from abroad—something also shown in a report by the XXI Century Institute.

The article asserts that while the Left uses violent and undemocratic methods to try to overthrow the government, their irresponsible policies risk causing social instability that could lead to civil war-like conditions—regardless of the 2022 election outcome.

Momentum's Activist Training Ground

The Momentum party, dubbed by Origo as politically bankrupt, has long excelled in agitation. In the protest following the 2018 elections, they began distributing the Activists’ Handbook, whose declared goal in the introduction is:

The fate of this system won’t be decided in Parliament, but on the streets.

According to the article, Momentum knew parliamentary success wasn’t a realistic path for them.

Fekete-Gyor Enjoyed the Protests

Andras Fekete-Gyor, the now-disgraced former chairman of the Momentum party, first stormed into Origo's newsroom in an aggressive and threatening manner, and later commented—after attacking journalists at Hungary's public television—that

everyone gets what they deserve.

At a December 2018 protest, he threw a smoke grenade at police guarding the Parliament building. Though billed as peaceful, the demonstration escalated: the crowd also threw firecrackers and bottles at law enforcement.

During this time, Fekete-Gyor became increasingly aggressive in rhetoric, talking about Prime Minister Orban’s “horribly huge mouth” and how the crowds were itching to act.

Koppany Bendeguz Szarvas and the Lamp Post Comment

Koppany Bendeguz Szarvas, who went from the Democratic Coalition party (DK) to Momentum, also participated in the protests mentioned above. He drew particular outrage during the height of the COVID crisis when he criticized the government’s pandemic response and noted in a post:

The boys are working hard to earn the lamp post.

He later agreed with a commenter who said: “Either blood must flow, garbage bins must burn, windshields must break, party offices must explode—or just stay home…” To which Szarvas replied: “At least that’s an alternative.”

Gyurcsany: “Don’t Back Down”

Ferenc Gyurcsany, whether in power or in opposition, has often aligned with the use of force. During his time as prime minister in 2006, his government crushed peaceful demonstrations with what many describe as unprecedented aggression in modern Hungarian history. In opposition, he has continued to advocate for violence. Regarding the 2018 protests, he said resistance had “begun” and that “we must not stop here”—clearly referring to continued street violence.

Not long after, he wrote an essay calling for rebellion:

“The parliamentary opposition must join with civil activists, NGOs and movements outside Parliament to call people to the streets and turn resistance into rebellion. Rebellion can only succeed if it is widespread, massive and sustained,”

the failed prime minister wrote.

Cover photo: Andras Fekete-Gyor at a protest in front of Parliament (Photo: Magyar Nemzet)