1988. február (17-31. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
TOoeSl^^Si (Ml 24/D LittJe Rutsel! Street, LONDON, W.C.i - Te/.04-4ao a< 2<s • G. Krassé 17/1988 (E) lst February, 1988 Demonstration in Front of the Románián Embassv in Budapest Today at 4 pm three-four hundred people took part in the demonstration against the Ceaugescu dictatorship in front of the Budapest Románián Embassy in Thököly Ave., although one of the organisers György Gadö was this moming summoned to the police - and Miklós Haraszti vho appeared with him - uhere they attempted to dissuade him from holding the demonstration. Many people came from the count,ry to take part in the protest action and a lót of pas6ers-by joined the rally, the more cautious of them vaved from the other side of Thököly Ave. or from buses and trams. The shutters on the ground floor of the Embassy were closed bút pictures and films were made from a side vindov on the second floor. In the side streets police cars were parked ready to intervene bút on the scene itself there were only piain clothes detectives lead by a lieutenant colonel vho tried to disperse the crovd. The marchers unfűried tvo signs. One of them, on which vas vritten "Dovn vith dictatorshipi Free and Democratic Romániái", vas immediately vrested out of Tamas Molnár* s and Róbert Pálinkás*s hands, and Gábor Bouquet vho came to their reseue vas nearly arrested. A scuffle broke out and the crovd freed Bouquet from the police. The other sign vhich said "Humán and Civil Rights Fór the Peoples of Romániái" vas successfully stretched out opposite the building. The Embassy garden is surroun- ded by a metál fence vhich Gáspár Miklós Tamás climbed upon and made the folloving short speech: "Friendsi We are gathered here today because ve are in solidarity vith the Románián nation and the Transylvanian Hungarians. We are nőt nationalists, ve rep- resent friendship and compassion betveen Eastem European nations and sympathy betveen nations. My Friends, after my vords I ask you to go home, as this protest is prohibited. I close my speech vith an unusual slogan vhich has nőt been used fór a long time, ’Long Live Hungarian-Romanian Friendshipi* •• The protesters eried "Long Live ..." vith Gáspár Miklós Tamás and to commemorate placed lighted candles on the edge of the fence. They mantained the silent protest requested by the organisers* announcement and only one "Dovn vith the Ceaugescu dictatorshipi" vas heard. György Gadó asked those present nőt to forget to svitch off the lights in their flats fór three minutes at 10 pm as a mark of solidarity. Meanvhile the crovd vas asked to break up through police cár loud speakers and piain clothes detectives endeavoured to violently disperse it. Those assembled vere organ- ised intő a march and proceeded along Thököly Ave. tovards Baross Square, holding high the three metre long canvas demanding rights fór the peoples of Románia. The police folloved the march and asked participants to disperse and furl up the sign many times, finally it vas strung up on one of the exits of the Baross Square metró vith the help of passers-by. The demonstration met vith visible sympathy from the population, many people stopped to speak to the marchers and a group of uniformed police even passed the sign going intő the metró vithout interfering. It vas only finally taken dovn at 5 pm and con- fiscated by the police to the accompaniment of sarcastic applause from onlookers.
