Hungarians protest over government overhaul of academic bodies [View all]

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Source: Reuters

World News
June 2, 2019 / 11:47 AM / Updated 18 minutes ago

Marton Dunai 4 Min Read

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarians took to the streets of central Budapest on Sunday to protest plans to overhaul the country’s leading scientific research body, which they see as part of a wider government attempt to curb academic freedom.

Right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who took power in 2010, has tightened controls over public life, including the courts, the media, universities and scientific research, putting him on a collision course with the European Union.

In its latest move, the government has said it plans to strip the 200 year-old Hungarian Academy of Sciences of its network of research institutions and hand over their buildings and assets to a new governing council. News website Index.hu reported on Tuesday that the government was now drawing up draft legislation for the plan.

The academy said on Wednesday that the government wanted “total political control” of vital research.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-scientists-protests/hungarians-protest-over-government-overhaul-of-academic-bodies-idUSKCN1T30KE?il=0

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While popular protests and diplomatic problems accompanied most of those moves, including a massive march of several tens of thousands of people in support of CEU two years ago, the government ultimately has gone ahead with its plans.

CEU was one of the main issues that led to the ruling Fidesz party’s suspension in the European People’s Party, a pan-Europe party, which has moved to isolate Orban and Fidesz as they drift further to the nationalist populist fringes of European politics.