Thousands of Hungarians took to the streets on October 5 to protest state propaganda outside the main building of state television in Budapest. The protesters called for an independent public media, opposing what they called the “propaganda machine” of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government. About this informs Reuters.
The protest was organized by the opposition party TISZA, which accuses state broadcaster MTVA of spreading one-sided propaganda, focusing exclusively on government politicians and pundits echoing the rhetoric of Orbán’s party. Oppositionists believe that state television has become a mouthpiece of the government, and call for changes.
At the protest, where people held national flags and placards reading “Stop Propaganda”, the crowd chanted slogans such as “We are not afraid” and “We are sick of it”. The leader of the TISZA party, Peter Magyar, demands that the state TV channel show the protest live without editing.
The TISZA (Tisztelet és Szabadság — Respect and Freedom) party is rapidly gaining support, becoming Orbán’s most serious political challenge in recent years. According to the latest Median opinion polls, the TISZA party has the support of 39% of the voters, almost equal to the 43% of Orbán’s Fidesz party. The next parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for early 2026.
Magyar, capitalizing on growing public disillusionment with Orbán’s policies, promises to fight corruption, reform state media and restore democratic institutions that he says have been undermined under Orbán.
While private media in Hungary is largely controlled by Fidesz allies, the government denies allegations of undermining press freedom and maintains that freedom of speech remains intact in the country.
