Around 10 people took to the streets of Budapest to protest a bill initiated by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party that has been compared to Russia’s “foreign agents” law. According to the Associated Press, demonstrators gathered at Lajos Kossuth Square in front of the parliament building, chanting “Enough!” and waving Hungarian and EU flags. One banner read: “I want to live in a free Hungary, not a dictatorship.” The large-scale rallies, according to the portal 444.hu, were among the largest in recent years, and organizers promised more actions next week.

The Transparency in Public Life Bill, introduced by Fidesz on May 14, allows the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty to blacklist organizations and media outlets that receive foreign funding if their activities are deemed a “threat to national sovereignty.” Such entities would be denied access to donations of 1% of citizens’ income taxes — a key source of funding for NGOs in Hungary — and would be required to prove that their funds come exclusively from domestic sources. Critics, including more than 100 Hungarian organizations, have called the law an attack on civil society, comparing it to a repressive Russian version used to suppress independent voices.

Hungarian authorities, including government spokesman Zoltán Kovács, have justified the initiative by citing the need to combat “Ukrainian propaganda” and foreign interference. Kovács said foreign-funded organizations “spread propaganda about migration, gender, and war,” threatening Hungarian democracy. However, opponents, such as TISZA opposition party leader Péter Magyar, have called the law an attempt by Orbán to bolster authoritarianism ahead of parliamentary elections in 2026. Magyar, speaking at a rally on March 15, called for “Orbán to be consigned to the dustbin of history,” to applause.