Demo held in Budapest after head of secondary school fired

The protest was held also in connection with a recent government decree banning the use of mobile phones in schools.

Levente Felhofi-Kiss, a Madach alumn, said the use of mobile phones had always been regulated by school rules. “The digital world is our life,” he said.

Beata Berta and Oliver Pilz, activists of the Tanitanek movement, said teachers had recently been subjected to “repercussions”.

“A policeman became education minister in 2022, and the firing of teachers practising civil disobedience started, then the law on the status of teachers was passed, and many head who stood up for teachers’ rights were sacked,” they said.

A former teacher at Madach, Andras Ferenc Dukan, said he had been fired “for trumped-up reasons” a year ago, just as a former head, Csaba Meszaros, had earlier this year.