The former PM opined in his blog that police officers’ and law-enforcement workers’ demands were probably righteous; however, the disagreement was not between them and Viktor Orbán as private citizen, but instead their aim should be to exert pressure on Viktor Orbán as the country’s prime minister. Gyurcsány stated that the protesters had nothing to do with the premier’s private and family life, and they had no bone to pick neither with Orbán’s children nor his wife; yet Viktor Orbán’s house was their home, too. “I cannot see any reason why they should also be victims of an increasingly ruthless political fight”. Gyurcsány – who celebrated his 50th birthday only a few days ago – recalled those days when the current governing party Fidesz had been in opposition: “We were sitting in our living room while listening to the several hundred-strong crowd of enraged people who gathered under our window, shouting in ecstasy: «betrayer!», «betrayer!». I was staring at my children wondering how much they understood of the strange things that were happening to us. By that time, we had seen many protests. I was aware of the fact that they had already had several horrible experiences as well. In the autumn of 2006, even the kids were given bulletproof vests in case they might need them. That was the worst of times.
«To prison with him!», «To prison with him!» – so went the new refrain out there!
The story had started in a rather funny way several years earlier. Two Fidesz MPs, Péter Szijjártó and Róbert Répássy gathered in front of our house sometime in the afternoon – at a time when an incumbent prime minister cannot be at home – to hold a press conference. Nevertheless, they came. They came and so they delivered a speech to my wife and to my children (if we do not take journalists into account). And when it turned out that they were not willing to hide, but were going about their business – as far as I can remember, they might have walked out into the street that day to leave for training –, the two courageous Fidesz MPs beat a retreat. The example they sat was kept alive, though; what is more, it became contagious. In this way, later a man called ‘the minister of the interior from the Kossuth Square’ came to our house, then another man called ‘Uncle Satu’, encamping himself for weeks at our gateway entrance, and so came the extremists, too. Sometimes only ten, and several hundreds of them at times. Protesters came along on weekdays as well as at weekends; they demonstrated under our very window in the afternoons, several times up until midnight.
«Killers!», «Killers!» – the mob upped the ante in the meantime.
I do think that political confrontation should not be extended to include anyone and anything; thus, political clashes should never be totalitarian. We must retain our humanity. The protesters should not interfere with Orbán’s private life, nor with his family. They are not enemies. It is not an easy thing to be part of a PM’s family anyway, and I cannot mention any reason why they also should be victims of an increasingly ruthless political fight.
A little humanity would really help things a great deal” – wrote Mr. Gyurcsány in his blog.
Last Updated on Thursday, 16 June 2011 19:35
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