Latest posts by Marietta Le
Hungary: Why Do We Have To Pay Attention To China?
‘Az igazi Mao’ blog [hu] is trying to draw attention to the contemporary China that Hungarian citizens may not be too familiar with; its title refers to a Hungarian experimental documentary, The Real Mao, which tells a fake story of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. In a recent entry, ‘Az igazi...
Hungary: Cycle Chic Summit in Budapest
Representatives of Amsterdam Cycle Chic, Berlin Cycle Chic, Copenhagen Cycle Chic, Vienna Cycle Chic and Vitória Cycle Chic gathered for a mini-summit in Budapest. This cycle chic event, organized by Hungarian Cycle Chic bloggers, was tied to a street fashion show. More photos are available here [hu].
Hungary: Parliament Forced to Take Domestic Violence Seriously
Despite initial setbacks, the Hungarian public has succeeded in convincing the Parliament to treat the issue of domestic violence seriously.
Hungary: Armenian Singer Condemns Diplomatic Failure
It seems that to some politicians money means more than the honour of their own country or their relations with other countries. This case could affect the stability of the whole region. Lángoló Gitárok, a Hungarian music blog, has published an interview [hu] with Gaya Arutyunyan, a Hungary-based singer of...
Hungary: Government Criticized for Its Handling of Ramil Safarov's Case
The extradition of Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan was based on the belief that he would continue to serve his life sentence there. After Azerbaijan gave amnesty to the convicted murderer, however, Armenia suspended its diplomatic relations with Hungary.
Hungary: Olympic Social Media Content Remains Scarce
With the total of four Olympic medals so far, the Hungarian team is now #12 in the London 2012 medal count. Something to be proud of, for sure - but discussions of these results and other Olympic news are hard to find in the Hungarian social media.
Hungary: An Eventful Celebration of the National Holiday
The prime minister compares the country to a frog; a rapper is elected as "the alternative president"; far-right protesters break into the IMF office; a techno party is held at Budapest's Heroes' Square, followed the next day by a paramilitary group's oath ceremony. Marietta Le reports on this year's eventful celebration of Hungary's National Day.
Hungary: Tax Administration Investigates Citizen Activists
Véleményvezér blog commented [hu] on the news of the most popular citizen movement's activists being checked by the National Tax and Customs Administration, interpreting it as a sign of fear by the ruling party Fidesz: “Two years after [winning] a two-thirds [majority], they're already catching flies, they're chasing civil activists.”...
Hungary: Goodbye, Malév!
Malév, Hungary's state airline since 1946, ceased operation on February 3, 2012, due to bankruptcy. Marietta Le reports on the reactions in the blogosphere, explaining what Malév meant for the people.
Hungary: “We Voted For Orbán, Not For Goldman Sachs”
Last Saturday, after several protests against the government's policies, Hungarians supporting those in power decided to hold a rally of their own, too. Marietta Le reports.
Hungary: President Accused of Plagiarism
Vastagbőr blog collected [hu] some internet memes about the President of Hungary Pál Schmitt, the newest of which appeared after hvg.hu news site published an article titled ‘Serious Suspicion of Plagiarism in Pál Schmitt's Ph.D. Dissertation‘ [hu]. According to hvg.hu, the President had allegedly plagiarized his dissertation (‘Analysis of the...
Hungary: “Hey Europe, Sorry About My Prime Minister”
Marietta Le reviews some Hungarian netizens' views on the January 2 protest against the country's new constitution.
Hungary: Presidents in Correspondence, Journalist in Blind Copy
Attila Mong, a Hungarian journalist, has obtained and published on his blog the letter sent by José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán. Marietta Le reports.
Hungary: Public Media Trade Union Leaders on Hunger Strike
Redjade, a Hungary-based activist, published a video interview [en] with Balázs Nagy-Navarro, the leader of the public media trade union. Nagy-Navarro went on hunger strike with two of his colleagues after the Hungarian public television MTV broadcast a report in which chief judge Zoltán Lomnici was blurred from the background...
Hungary: Solidarity With the Homeless and the Poor
Many citizen actions have been organized in the past weeks in Budapest in protest against the modification of the law that frames homelessness as an offence punishable with a €530 fine or imprisonment. Marietta Le reports.
Hungary: War on the Homeless in Budapest
The Wayward Hungarian, a new English-language Tumblr blog, writes about the recent initiative by a Hungarian activist, who has “hacked” the regulation targeting the homeless living in Budapest's District VIII. The regulation imposes a fine of “up to 250 dollars if one is conducting ‘lifestyle-like’ behavior in public, but the...
Hungary: “How Many Policemen Does It Take to Arrest A Homeless Person?”
To protest against a regulation that bans the homeless from public areas in one of Budapest's neighborhoods, one blogger posed as a homeless man and ended up getting arrested by the police, while his friends were filming the incident. Marietta Le reports on the initiative.
Croatia: Court Forbids Homophobic Priest From Blogging
Serbia Insajd, a Hungarian blog about South-Eastern Europe, reports [hu] that the Rijeka Court has banned Franjo Jurčević, a Kastav-based Catholic priest, from writing homophobic blog posts [Jurčević's blog, hr: http://zupnik.blog.hr/]. The court has also ordered Jurčević to publish the court decision in two national dailies at his own expense.
Hungary: A Picnic for Democracy
Authors of Kettős Mérce (“Double Standard”) blog held a ‘picnic for democracy‘ [hu] last Sunday in the capital of Hungary. They also shared a video from the event, which was organized in solidarity with the recent protests in Spain.
Hungary: Facebook Blocked Popular Far-Right Website
Hungarian news sites report that Facebook has blocked the most popular far-right website Kuruc.info. According to kuruc.info [hu], no referring links can be sent through Facebook's system, the Like button has disappeared, and Facebook is also blocking mentions of “Kuruc.info.” Kuruc.info wrote that the block was worse than similar measures...
Hungary: Hungarian-Roma Tensions Result in Clash in Gyöngyöspata
Last night, four people were injured in a clash between ethnic Hungarian members of the far-right group Véderő and members of the Roma community in the village of Gyöngyöspata. Contradictory accounts have been published in the Hungarian media about how exactly the fight started - and neither of the communities has taken responsibility for the clash.
