As we await Hungary's election both for the liberation of its people and as portent for our own, let us recall the role that ridicule, resistance and refusal has played. Yes, elections can be turning points but only if movements make them so.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:6y3honhec2jch2ryrbuyx5a5/post/3mjaloi2glc2hFolks now raising light and hope to Magyar are possible because of the courage of crowds who came out in defiance before. Last summer, notably, people came out in full force against the ban on pride - a familiar assault on freedom in prep for the election.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j....
Tens of thousands defy Hungary...
Tens of thousands defy Hungary’s ban on Pride in protest against Orbán
Crackdown on Pride is part of effort to curb democratic freedoms ahead of a hotly-contested election next year
Gergely Kovacs, Budapest's mayor who narrowly unseated Orban's party to win in 2024, has embraced the power of cutting the strong-man down to size with satire - among his strategies.
www.ft.com/content/bf7f....
Hungarians across backgrounds and origins are defying authoritarian forces to fight for their freedoms, their families and their futures. May they prevail and serve as inspiration for all of us in this struggle.
Authoritarians don't wait till after election to steal, they plant doubt, rig rules & block voting. Then they lose, they lie, they lash out. Beating them requires more than voting; requires showing you ARE the majority & will force will of people to prevail.
www.instagram.com/reels/DV6ydh...Radnai Márk on Instagram: "Hid...
Radnai Márk on Instagram: "Hidegrázós! 😎🇭🇺👏
#tisza #magyarország #együtt #hungary #budapest"
44K likes, 672 comments - radnaimark on March 15, 2026: "Hidegrázós! 😎🇭🇺👏
#tisza #magyarország #együtt #hungary #budapest".
Magyar calls himself "conservative liberal," by no means champion of oppressed. But he demonstrated real defiance, exposing corruption over pedophilia scandal (ahem) & mobilizing mass public actions, not merely posting displeasure on social media.
Likely big win (fingers still crossed!) is due to everyday Hungarians' courage - under regime that criminalized dissent. We must never fall prey to fiction that we can just vote our way to democracy. We've got an economic problem masquerading as a political one.
Anat Shenker-Osorio
