1988. március (32-68. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
/ «hvnmuan sm£ Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (from abroad 441-430 2126) 66/1988 (E) 26th March, 1988 The Manager of the Jurta Theatre is Sentenced Yesterday - March 25th - László Romhányi, the manager of the Budapest Jurta Theatre, received a written decree informing him that he had been sentenced to 25 days im- prisonraent and that he must appear on April 6th at 8 am at the Baracska Penal In- stltute to serve his sentence. The Jurta Theatre, vhich is near to the Planetárium in the Peoples Park, functions as a small co —operative and its organisers were faced with serious difficulties even before it opened. Building work had to be stopped several times because the state áld promised previously was discontinued. In spite of this it was according to Hungárián standards completed fairly quicjcly in 14 months and performances began a year ago. Although the theatre operates in an enterprenurial uay - in a manner unique in Hungary - the management consider that one of their priaary tasks is to help the discussion and solution of national problems as far as they can. Thus the Hungárián Democratic Fórum could hold its meetings there, a room was given fór the sessions of the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Friendship Society and independent Budapest clubs and recently an offer was made to the Refugee Committee, a social ini$tive organisa- tion, to present educational, training and cultural performances in the Theatre Club and on the main stage fór refugee children frora Transylvania. The authorities have wanted to stop the Jurta Theatre from operating fór a year, bút finally the Prime Minister Karoly Grósz promised them that they could continue their work. Grósz said that their complaints would be handed on to Béla Köpeczi the Minister of Culture and Education bút Köpeczi consistently eluded giving any sort of support. When on January 30th the Democratic Fórum organised its first meeting in Budapest in the Jurta Theatre the theatre faced serious politieal pressure nőt to ensure a piacé fór the Democratic Fórum ever again. However the management resisted this pressure so the deputy director of the Budapest Development Bank László Orbán suspended pay- ments under orders from the Party Centre. On the day before the Democratic Fórum's March 6th conference - a Saturday - bailiffs appeared at the Jurta Theatre and demanded a payment of 15 millión forints - the debt was due to reasons beyond their control which occurred during the construction of the theatre. On the following day during the Democratic Fórum's conference László Romhányi described the situation in his speech and asked those who had given donations towards the construction of the National Theatre to donate towards the Jurta Theatre although construction would have to be suspended. The Hungárián politieal leadership made a further attempt to prevent the Hungárián Democratic Fórum from operating. On March lOth - after the Council of Ministers session - Dr Rezső Bányász, a govemment spokesman, in answer to a question about the Democratic Fórum's meeting in the Jurta Theatre spoke of "extreme and irrespon- sible elements who want to cause confusion and have got carried away with nationalist and racial prejudice - fór example anti-gypsy". The Party forbade invited lecturers to take part in the Fórum's meeting and according to the latest news Party discip- linary action has been iniated against many Party members who took part in the Fórum's activities, fór example Dr Mihály Bihari a politieal Science professor, Zoltán Király an M.P., Zoltán Bíró a literary histórián and Dr László Lengyel an economist. In March further threats were made against the Jurta theatre and the management were finally forced to make a statement to the press in which they distanced themselves Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in detail as long as the source is acknowledged.
