Traffic paralyzed by demonstration in Budapest (updated)

A group of anti-government protesters blockaded Budapest's Elisabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd) Friday morning and paralyzed traffic in the city center.

Life was back to normal in Budapest by Friday 2 p.m., writes fn.hu. Police officers were last seen at Erzsébet híd checking IDs of several people at around 7 p.m., when a group of 20 protesters walked up the bridge. National Police Chief József Bencze ordered public security action until midnight, because it was believed that radical groups would attempt to disrupt order later that night.

A total of 82 people were detained including László G. and Gábor B., leaders of the Hungarian National Committee 2006, Előd N., former spokesperson for Jobbik, Ervin D., a protester known from Kossuth tér, Tamás P., the blogger known as Tomcat and Károly F., leader of the System Changing Forum.

The reasons for detaining these protesters include misusing the right to free assembly, disorderly conduct, disrupting order and disobeying rightful authority. According to police, several police vehicles were damaged by protesters during the morning.

All political parties condemned the actions of the protesters on Friday. Viktor Orbán, chairman of main opposition party Fidesz, said: "Laws have to be followed in Hungary, citizens have to get to their workplaces in the morning, and if someone wanted to prevent that, there are lawful and unlawful means to do that."

The events of Friday morning:

By 11 a.m., protesters had dispersed between Blaha Lujza tér and the Eastern Railway Station (Keleti pályaudvar), however others returned to Ferenciek tere, the square near Erzsébet híd. Police are making efforts to secure these locations. Residents were seen spitting and shouting at protesters for disturbing traffic. According to police, the protesters are expecting 50 "skinheads" to arrive at Keleti soon.

At around 10 a.m., protesters flattened the tires of a parked bus at Astoria and pushed it on the tram tracks. Police drove them towards Blaha Lujza tér, where they stopped a Combino tram on the 4-6 route. The tram service is suspended. Some protesters were led away in handcuffs.

Riot police ordered the crowd to leave Erzsébet híd at around 8:45 a.m., after driving protesters back from the bridge's sidewalks. One motorist who parked his car on the bridge was ordered to exit his vehicle and was searched on the sidewalk.

Budapest Police Spokesperson Éva Tafferner said that large groups of protesters are being detained at Erzsébet híd. She stressed that the demonstration at the bridge was spontaneous, previously not announced, which by Hungarian law is illegal. The police are concentrating their efforts on Erzsébet híd but are also monitoring the city's other bridges.

The metro station closest to the bridge, Ferenciek tere, is currently closed, transport company BKV announced.

The Erzsébet híd was last blockaded in 2002 after the general elections won by the now-governing Socialist Party. Protesters demanded the votes to be recounted. Before that, the bridge was blockaded in 1990 by taxi drivers protesting against a jump in fuel prices.

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