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Hungary: Thousands Protest “Slave Law” in Budapest

HeadlineDec 18, 2018

In Hungary, thousands of protesters took to the streets for a fifth straight day on Monday in opposition to far-right authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The protests were sparked after Orbán’s government created a new court system controlled by his party. Protesters are also furious over new rules that allow employers to demand their employees work up to 400 hours of overtime, giving employers up to three years to pay for the extra work. Critics have called the rules “slave laws.” This is Andi, a 26-year-old student in Budapest.

Andi: “I think that discontent is growing, and, with this, not only anger and frustration, but also those voices which would like to make change. I think this is a process where we are trying to come up with new ideas.”

Monday’s protests targeted state-run TV and radio stations over their one-sided support for Prime Minister Orbán. Guards ejected two independent lawmakers from Hungary’s state television building after they demanded the broadcaster read out a petition from the protesters.

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