15 hurt in Budapest protests
Fifteen protesters were injured, including two seriously hurt by tear gas canisters, during protests in Hungarian capital Budapest this morning.
Hungarian police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany over his admission on a leaked tape that he lied about the dismal state of the economy.
The protesters were part of a much larger group that had gathered last night in a fourth straight day of demonstrations against the government, growing to 15,000 on Kossuth Square.
Police, outfitted with stronger riot gear after previous clashes left dozens of officers injured, mobilised to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who rioted for several hours this morning.
The calls for Gyurcsany’s resignation came after leaks of his taped comments that he had “lied morning, evening and night” about the economy.
The tape was made at a closed-door meeting in late May, weeks after Gyurcsany’s government became the first in post-communist Hungary to win re-election.
