We held a commemorative gathering to mark the tenth anniversary of the illegal house raid at Ökotárs to raise awareness of the shrinking civic space in Hungary over the past ten years and to thank our colleagues for their dedicated work.
The consortium of Ökotárs, Autonómia, Kárpátok and DemNet Foundations were harrassed by the government in 2014 because the Funds of the EEA and Norway Grants for Hungarian civil society organizations were distributed independently from the ruling party, along professional lines, to strengthen Hungarian civil society. Ten years have passed since then, and the situation of CSOs is getting worse. The most recent restrictive legislation is the Sovereignty Protecetion Act, affecting both civil society and the media, intending to silence all critical voices with its vaguely worded text.
The first of the three speakers at the commemoration was our Director, Veronika Móra, who said:
"Ten years ago I came out of this building surrounded by police. There was a lot going on: inspections by authorities, lawsuits, diplomatic scandals, and smear campaigns, smear campaigns, smear campaigns... and for what? To prevent CSOs from receiving support independently of the government - CSOs that stand up for the weak, the disadvantaged, the marginalised: poor people, refugees, homeless people, women, the elderly and young people, CSOs that make their voices heard, speak out against destruction of nature, waste of public money, abuse or exclusion. Especially if they express criticism."
At the end of her speech, she was joined by her colleagues who had been working for the foundations at the time of the raid, and thanked them for working together over the past ten years.
The next speaker was Tamás Bodoky, editor-in-chief of Átlátszó. The case of Átlátszó is special because they were already a beneficiary of the EEA and Norway Grants ten years ago, and were among the first to be investigated by the Sovereignty Protection Office this year. Bodoky referred to this in his speech when he said:
"The state institution that was illegally used for party purposes is now called the Sovereignty Protection Office. We do not cooperate with them either." He also pointed out that "before 2010, Fidesz approved and encouraged investigative journalism, but after they came to power, they didn't want watchdogs or checks and balances of power anymore. What Átlátszó does is called journalism for the public good, and in more fortunate countries it is supported by the state."
Lastly, András Nun, Director of Autonómia Foundation, delivered a speech, highlighting that civil society organisations have always been open to constructive dialogue and meaningful cooperation with the government, and this is no different today:
"Brute force or not, the desire to understand others has not died in me. I believe that true dialogue brings us forward, helps us understand things and contributes to the peace of mind. Governments can do their job better and more effectively if they listen to the voices of civil society and accept that civil society organisations work for a better society.
At the end of his speech, to emphasise his words, twenty-five white dove was released from a basket placed next to the stage. After releasing the doves, the gathering continued in an interactive manner with read-outs of the audience's messages and brief speeches from the audience by Dalma Dojcsák, Executive Director of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and Áron Demeter, Head of Research and Communications at Amnesty International. The event was closed with a mini-concert by the jazz-pop duo Bárterápia.
During the evening, we wanted to show that despite all difficulties, CSOs persevere and keep on working: helping the poor, the homeless, the refugees, standing up for the rights of underprivileged people, minorities, women, the LGBT community. They keep the checks and balances alive, protect the environment and empowering communities to make Hungary a better place to live - for everyone. This is reflected by the title of this event: there is no such power that could suppress the citizen's courage to do the rights thing. Veronika Móra said:
"Even if it is suppressed in one place, in another it bursts to the surface again and stronger, just like a stream. It carries hope for a more just, peaceful and happy future."
We want to thank everyone who came, and thank our colleagues, old and new, who, against all odds, are taking action on a number of issues to make this country a better place.