1988. május (109-137. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
í «H0N6arian(§) fctós ©m£ Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (from abroad 441-430 2126) 130/1988 (E) 21st May, 1988 The YDA’s Press Conference On Saturday May 21st a number of English, American and French joumalists left the press centre set up in Népköztársaság Street to take part in an international press conference held by the YDA - Young Democrats Alliance - at 10 am instead of listen- ing to speeches in the Party conference on its second day. In answer to questions from reporters the spokespeople fór the new youth organisation, established on April lst, said that nine independent YDA groups had already been formed with a totál of 1000-1200 members. Organisations are already operating nőt only in Budapest bút in Sopron, Szombathely* Gödöllő and Pécs, including a young workers group as well. In most of the universities KISZ (Young Communist League) has to exist alongside the YDA and compete with it. A report was given of the YDA*s history and a detailed account was given of recent events: the police and prosecutor wamings, the house searches in Veszprém and of the decision demanding the establishment of new political youth organisations within the Youth Parliament, and of their libel suit against the Hungárián News Agency and the paper Magyar Hírlap (Hungárián News). During the conference multi-lingual press releases about the YDA’s aims were distributed. The journalists were naturally primarily interested in the question of the YDA’s legality. Dr Viktor Orbán voiced his despair at Kadar’s disruption of unity speech which shows that the Party has nőt renounced its previous monopolistic ambitions. When speaking of János Berecz’s opinion, according to which the legal operation of the YDA must decided by a court, the spokespeople said that they would nőt apply to the courts because their formation was legal in every sense, such is the opinion of constitutional lawyers as well. They criticised Károly Grósz’s London declaration which they saw as mistaken: the YDA - they said - is nőt a unión bút a national organisation and therefore unión laws do nőt apply to it (it does nőt come under the "right of assembly" law as the Prime Minister maintained). It was reported that in somé of the higher educational establishments, primarily in the Eötvös Loránd Teacher Training School, YDA members have been discriminated against. The debate and adoption of the YDA programmé will happen at the Autumn congress bút there are already a number of proposals and plans. In principle university liberty, to Champion the transformation of the scholarship system and to await the drafting of the demands of young workers. YDA members have established individual connections with other independent movements, many of them support the measures against the construction of the Bős-Nagymaros hydro-electric plánt. The immediate demands of the YDA are that March 15th becomes a national public holiday, the raising of a monument to the victims of the Rákosi régimé and the release of all imprisoned conscientious objectors - said spokespeople at the end of Saturday’s international press conference. Áo ■ Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in detail as long as the source is acknowledged.
