COUNTER-DEMONSTRATION POLICING IN HUNGARY IN SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2006: THE ROLE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
29 MARCH 2011
As the enquiry continues into the policing of the riots in Budapest in September – October 2006, it would appear that the role of the then Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány, is once again under scrutiny. The Hungarian Socialist party condemn the enquiry as an exercise in retrospective political revenge, whilst the Government and the ruling Fidesz Party see it as an attempt to establish a clear line of responsibility for the consequences of the police action at the time.
Few impartial observers would disagree with the view that in September – October 2006, the Budapest Police and their regional reinforcements totally mishandled the policing of a number of major events taking place simultaneously in Budapest.