At Home: SZFE Demonstration: Freedom and Hope for a Better and Happier Life Are at Stake

Barnabás Rohonyi, who chaired the event, said that the SZFE’s ground flame burns not only for the university, but for everyone. As he said, the expansion of power affects everyone, it is not an internal matter of the university, but a public matter of society.

In his speech at the event, András Hajós emphasized that whoever wants to occupy the university now should not be afraid, real adults are not like that. Those who come now are only a little more talented than the average, they claim rights because they think something has been taken from them. As he said, they threaten, disable, withdraw, reorganize, “come with everything, paripa, chancellor.” At the end of his boat speech, he apologized to the young people. He said that if it had been “more pumpkins” thirty years ago, the current generation shouldn’t.

József Pálinkás, former president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, also spoke, who as he said, came with joy, he is happy to defend all those who defend freedom. According to Pálinkás, he and many others were always on the verge of drawing the attention of the power that wanted to settle in everything: they left autonomous institutions free to function. “Unfortunately, they do the opposite,” he added. He also spoke about it, he hopes that now looking at the SZFE stand, it will be clear to everyone that it is not a question of dismantling a free functioning institution.

“It is not just the freedom of the arts, education and science that is at stake, but the freedom of all of us and the hope for a better and happier life,” he said. According to him, the government is in love with power, but artists can only be in love with the truth, because that is the only way to know the world and to know ourselves. “I deeply believe that only art and science can alleviate physical and mental torment,” he said. Pálinkás added that foolish power is afraid of criticism, the intelligent learn from it. He sees the key to current and long-term success in people who trust each other. “We are here because we want to be such a community … Freedom, morality, trust and solidarity can create a better and happier Hungary.”

Several former college students also spoke. According to Lili Hard, living knowledge and art are enemies of the state and the current market, and if the results are viewed on the basis of profit, the autonomy of the institution is violated. At the same time, Hard asked the government that if they wanted the SZFE blockade lifted, the power would also give up the state blockade.

Jakab Tarnóczy graduated as a theater director in 2019, he demonstrated by his own example that a very significant proportion of the profession is not supportive of students. As he said, his first amateur settlement was banned by the mayor of his hometown. He expects a critical but calm voice from his contemporaries in the face of current power.

Being a musical carnival, Ricsárdgír, Mordái, Mongooz and the Magnet and Veronika Harcsa also performed at the event.

At the end of the Ricsárdgír band concert, they played the Secret University and Happy Everyone music at the same time. Today, both are intertwined with the SZFE affair, although the former is one of the students’ popular song poems.

The blockade of the students of the University of Theater and Film Arts takes thirty-four days, and on October 1, in addition to the campus on Vas Street, they also occupied its cinema building on Szentkirályi Street. On Saturday, the students launched corridors to Kaposvár, Eger, Szeged, Debrecen and Pécs with the previously lit ground flame. In the afternoon they arrived in each city, where solidarity events awaited them.

Neither they nor the board chaired by Attila Vidnyánszky seem to have withdrawn from the deadlock: the chancellor was replaced and Gábor Szarka took his place. University professors will go on strike again from Monday.

You can read our articles on demos by clicking here.