Hungarian Home Defenders against the Evictions

An appeal to the self-defence against the evictions threatening about 750 thousand people in
Hungary, because of the consequences of the financial crisis on the bank loans has been
launched by the Hungarian Social Forum – Social Roundtable in strict co-operation with the
Alliance of the small and medium Enterprises (VESZ). At the same time with the appeal to social
resistance a political initiative to find a solution has been presented to the Prime Minister with the
demand of an urgent meeting with him and the affected people. More hundreds social organisations,
trade unions and political groups of the most different ideological inspiration have joined the newly
created umbrella organisation by the name „Home Defenders”. The Press Conference held in Budapest
on Wednesday for the presentation of the goals, have been organized together with among others
the Hungarian Civic Summit, Forum of Civic Joining, the Hungarian Communist Workers Party,
Organisations for Human Rights, Antifascist Ligue Alliance. For the first time the opposition inside
of the ruling Socialist Party, the Social-Political Platform (TPT) has collectively adhered to the civic
initiative for the defense of the housing. (No participation of Hungarian Attac.) In addition to
the mentioned number of banking loan crisis affected people, more 720 thousand of indebted people
are also threatend by eviction, because their accumulated liability of the bills of electricity, gaz, water
and rents. This mass of people represents 10-15 pc of the population of Hungary.
No answer up to now from the PM to our meeting initiative with him, and our demand to suspend
immediately the evictions and to order a debt moratorium in order to easy the burdens of the affected families.
(Good press coverage of the Press Conference with the participation also of german ARD.)

7th May 2009                       es