Budapest police launch proceedings against over 50 protesters after Szabadság bridge blockade
The police have launched procedures against more than 50 people in connection with an “unlawful gathering on Tuesday, which blocked the Szabadság bridge” in downtown Budapest, the municipal police said on the official website on Wednesday.
Participants first obstructed traffic at Ferenciek Square, near the Pest end of Elisabeth bridge, then marched to Szabadság bridge, where they blocked traffic for a while, the statement on police.hu said.
Police diverted traffic from the impacted areas to maintain traffic safety, it said.
After multiple warnings, police carried protesters from the road to the pavement, it said. They checked the ID of 140 people and launched two procedures on suspicion of abuse of the right of assembly and one over a misdemeanour in connection with the use of pyrotechnics. Procedures over traffic misdemeanours were launched against 51 people, the statement said.
Find our report on the bridge blockade HERE.
Read more about demonstrations in Hungary by clicking HERE.
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A picture is worth a thousand words: a grinning, mischievous young woman, clearly having a good time, being carried off by police officers.
That is not the image of someone engaged in an arduous struggle for basic rights against a brutal, authoritarian regime.
Rather, it is someone who FINALLY got bored of roaming the streets while mindlessly scrolling through cretinous TikTok videos on her phone, and decided to get some dopamine hit from real life.
Put differently: a privileged kid, with no responsibilities or worries in life, decides to inconvenience the working people trying to get home to their families.
Puke.
Is this not the so-called freedom bridge? Omg the dictatorship still goes on. Get ready for the golden-slavery age!
Here’s a breakdown of why youth tends to be more idealistic and protest-prone, while older people often become more cautious or conservative:
🧠 Developmental Psychology & Brain Chemistry
The prefrontal cortex, which governs long-term planning, risk assessment, and impulse control, is still developing well into a person’s 20s. This can make younger people more willing to take risks and push boundaries.
Dopamine levels are typically higher in youth, driving novelty-seeking and passion—both helpful for activism.
🔥 Life Experience & Worldview
Young people often haven’t been worn down by long-term exposure to bureaucracy, systemic inertia, or personal responsibilities. They’re more likely to believe change should be fast and can happen if people just care enough.
They’re usually not as deeply invested in the status quo—fewer mortgages, jobs to lose, families to feed. That makes protest a less risky personal choice.
🛠️ Sociological & Generational Roles
In almost every era, youth is the engine of cultural change. Think of the civil rights movement, 1968 protests, climate strikes—all youth-led.
Older generations often feel a stronger need for stability and may fear change because it can threaten what they’ve worked hard to build.
🧓 Wisdom or Weariness?
With age often comes a recognition of nuance and complexity. Older people might see both sides of an issue more clearly—or they might just be more cynical, believing that protest doesn’t actually achieve lasting change.
Or maybe they’re just tired. Life has worn them down a bit, and yelling in the street just doesn’t appeal anymore.
So it’s not that youth is better or older people are worse—they just occupy different phases of the human experience. Youth sees the world as it should be; age sees the world as it is.
The youth played a crucial and catalytic role in Hungary’s 1956 revolution against Soviet domination and the communist regime. Here’s how they contributed:
1. Intellectual and Political Spark
University students in Budapest were among the first to openly challenge the government. On October 23, 1956, students from the Technical University of Budapest organized a peaceful protest demanding political reforms.
They drafted a list of 16 demands, including:
Withdrawal of Soviet troops
Free elections
Freedom of speech and press
A multiparty political system
2. The Demonstrations
The students’ peaceful march quickly grew as workers and other citizens joined in.
Their demonstration outside the Parliament building became one of the key turning points in the revolution.
3. Symbolic Actions
Young people were central to symbolic acts of defiance, such as cutting out the communist emblem from the Hungarian flag, which became an iconic image of the revolution.
They toppled Stalin’s statue, showing the rejection of Soviet influence.
4. Armed Resistance
As the revolution turned violent after secret police (ÁVH) opened fire on demonstrators, many young people joined the armed resistance.
Teenagers and young adults formed guerrilla groups, fought in the streets, and took over radio stations and police stations.
5. Communication and Organization
Young people were instrumental in spreading information—using leaflets, graffiti, and underground printing presses to share news and keep up morale.
They helped coordinate protests and resistance efforts through student networks and worker alliances.
6. Legacy
Many young revolutionaries were killed or imprisoned when the Soviets crushed the uprising in early November.
Others fled the country, joining a wave of about 200,000 Hungarian refugees, many of whom were students or young professionals.
In short, the youth of Hungary were not only participants in the revolution—they were its driving force, embodying the desire for freedom, democracy, and national self-determination.