Hungarians Protest Restrictions on Foreign Universities and NGOs

Thousands of people on Wednesday, April 12, protested the Hungarian government’s proposed restrictions on foreign universities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Wednesday’s demonstration, held at Budapest’s Hero’s Square, was the fourth major protest in Budapest in the past two weeks, Reuters reported.

In the eye of the storm is Central European University (CEU), founded by Hungarian-born American financier George Soros. The university faces potential closure after Prime Minister Viktor Orban signed amendments to the Higher Education Act into law on Monday. The new legislation bans non-EU registered higher education institutions from awarding diplomas and requires NGOs receiving foreign donations of at least $24,500 to register with the government as foreign-funded groups.

CEU President and Rector Michael Ignatieff told Deutsche Welle that the legislation was “a direct political attack by the government on a free institution.” Credit: Instagram/robert_g_ergely via Storyful