Sirály Club (Király utca 50.) has become one of the meeting points of student protestors involved in the recent series of HaHa demonstrations, especially in the occupation of Fidesz’ Party Center by students. The club is rented by Marom Cultural Association that organizes alternative cultural events, among others offers modern ways of celebrating traditional Jewish holidays due to its mission involving the spread of Jewish culture, support of civilian initiatives and fight against discrimination of socially disadvantaged people. Marom did not by chance choose Sirály that is in the heart of the old Jewish district. And Sirály is not by chance a meeting point for young people (Jews and non Jews) who oppose the current political leadership.
On March 22 the owner of Sirály, the capital’s Lord Mayor’s Office suddenly declared to break the contract with Marom and demanded the association’s members to empty the club. According to the justification Marom conducted commercial activity in Sirály without permission. According to Marom they collected only donations in the club, therefore the association did not empty the club. On the contrary, 80 activists remained in Sirály and resisted the security guards who were sent there to force them leave in the morning of March 23. The police claimed not to be able to intervene since both the young activists and the security guards are legitimately there.
And here comes the Soviet WW II grenade in the story which was found in the afternoon of March 23 in a house of Király utca, therefore all the people from the neighboring buildings, including Sirály were evacuated. Meanwhile also the Jewish Community intervened in the Sirály-affair by asking the lord mayor to allow Marom to continue its activity in Sirály at least until April 3, the end of Pesach in this year, since a plenty of events connected to Pesach are supposed to take place in Sirály this week.
Supporters were not allowed to attend the Hungarian-Romanian qualifying football match of March 22 due to FIFA’s punishment for racist agitation on the occasion of an Israeli-Hungarian match in August 2012 (as The CEU Weekly published a notice on the subject: http://ceuweekly.blogspot.hu/2013/02/what-is-going-on-in-hungary-february.html). The Hungarian Football Association (MLSZ) organized a public screening where 4000 people participated. For the same evening a radical rightist protestation was organized (supported by Jobbik). During the evening some demonstrators threw beer bottles on policemen, some people were arrested, but due to the stand-off result of the match anger did not get to a higher level among the radical rightist demonstrators, fortunately.
Here Comes the Budapest Spring Festival
Although the weather does not seem to follow the calendar, in cultural sense spring has really begun in Budapest. The 13th Budapest Spring Festival takes place between March 22 and April 7. The festival offers a large scale of artistic programs: exhibitions, dance performances, theatre, and concerts thanks to the contribution of plenty of artists invited from abroad. Also Hungarian artists participate of course. This year among others the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra, Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, the Compañía Carmen Cortés, and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra are the star guests of the festival. The Budapest Spring Festival is traditionally expected and enjoyed by both local audience and tourists who come to Hungary only for this cultural event. So being here as a CEU student, one should use this chance to attend some of these prestigious events!
Agnes Kelemen, Hungary,
Nationalism Studies Department
0 comments:
Post a Comment