Previous governments in Hungary, including the Socialists, also enacted policies against the homeless, albeit in a less systematic way. 'So they use the poorest of the poor, homeless, Roma and refugees.' 'They need scapegoats to distract from the poor social position the country's in,' she said. Udvarhelyi, however, said the homeless policy is one part of the Orban government's all-out hostility toward poverty. 'The only thing we don't want is for the homeless to live in particular public places that are well-visited by tourists.

'It is outrageous nonsense to speak of the criminalization of the homeless,' said the Hungarian State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gergely Pröhle. Coming soon to a place not near you: Hungary's homeless place their hopes in NGOs, religious institutions and the opposition Image: picture-alliance/AP Many people there make their way to Budapest, which not only has more job opportunities but also more facilities for the homeless. The collapse of that industry led to high levels of unemployment in a region that is today considered the poorhouse of Hungary. Tens of thousands worked there in heavy industry until the early 1990s, mostly in steel combines and steel delivery. The city's homeless shelters, she said, can only take 6,000 of them.Īccording to NGO estimates, roughly 80 percent of Budapest's homeless population is originally from other areas of Hungary - from eastern Hungary above all others. Of Budapest's population of 2 million, between 10,000 and 15,000 are homeless, her organization estimated. 'The government promised that all homeless would receive lodging in shelters, but there aren't enough shelters,' Udvarhelyi said.

Hundreds of people followed the group's call on Facebook to protest at the parliament building in Budapest. 'A lot of people don't know where they should find work,' she told DW. 'With the new law, homelessness has become a criminal offense,' criticized Tessza Udvarhelyi of a Hungarian initiative for the homeless called, A város mindenkié!, or 'The city Belongs to Everyone!'

'The criminalization of homelessness violates fundamental rights and is unacceptable,' wrote the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ). Not signing the legislation into law would be an act of defiance against János Áder's own Fidesz party Image: picture-alliance/dpa Members of many civic groups in Hungary have vehemently protested the controversial proposed law as soon it was passed by parliament and have called on Hungarian President Janos Ader to refuse to sign it into law. Those in breach of the ban can be fined, sentenced to community service or even imprisoned. The ban affects all of Hungary's World Heritage sites but may also include any areas declared by municipal officials to be off-limits to the homeless. The court overturned a ban on sifting through dumpsters, as well as a law on rough sleeping that targeted the homeless, which was later amended and reinstated.Įarlier this week, Hungary's parliament in Budapest signed off on the reissuing of a law forbidding the homeless from loitering in specific public spaces in a manner deemed 'living-oriented.' The criteria for that term are at this point very vague. On a number of occasions it has run afoul of the constitutional court. Some say Hungary's conservative government under Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been waging war with the country's homeless since being elected in 2010.

Movealong protest