A few hundred people attended Momentum Movement’s (MoMo) Europe March on Monday evening to protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit, which Momentum called “yet another step toward Moscow and Russian influence in Hungary.” The brief torch march began at the foot of Gellért Hill and ended underneath Budapest’s iconic Liberty Statue. A photo essay by Balázs Pivarnyik. 

Essential tools of a Europe March: torches and EU flags.

Around 7 pm, the scheduled start of the protest, only a few dozen people lingered around on the northern slopes of Gellért Hill.

By 7:30 pm a few hundred people gathered and Momentum member Daniel Berg announced the start of the march.

Torches were lit, and the march started up Gellért Hill.

Board members of Momentum from left to right: Katka Cseh, vice-president Tamás Soproni and president András Fekete-Győr leading the march

The march crawls up Szirtes street.

The march moving past the Citadella, a fortress that was built atop Gellért Hill in 1851 and which housed a garrison of Austrian soldiers for decades.

The EU flag projected over the Liberty Statue. The statue erected in 1947 was originally a memento for the Soviet liberators, however after the political system change of 1989, the text carved into the pedestal was changed to thank all those who sacrificed themselves for the well-being of Hungary.

Activist Daniel Berg addressing the participants.

Although there were a couple of pensioner-aged participants, due to the timing of the protest, the vast majority of participants were young adults.

The night’s main attraction was Momentum president András Fekete-Győr’s speech. He vehemently attacked Vladimir Putin, saying “Putin is a dictator, and a dictator is not a friend of anyone who thinks peace, freedom and Europe are important”.

Fekete-Győr vowed that should his party be elected to govern, they would reveal all details of the classified contract of the Paks II nuclear plant to the public and would oust Russian spies from Hungary.

Protesters singing the Hungarian anthem at the end of the event. The lighting and amplification broke down during the last notes of the anthem, so participants sang by torchlight. The event left in the dark all those who wanted to learn more about Momentum’s principles and intentions, as speakers largely repeated anti-Russian slogans, and tropes of the prospering West versus the evil East.