Report from Budapest
According to the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) 2-3.000 people gathered on the so called „Grand Field” (Nagymező) of the Margit Island for the Million Marijuana March on Sunday.
In spite of the unpleasant experiences of the last two years, when the event was distracted by counter-demonstrators, there was nothing to disturb peace and unity on the field this time. The police surrounded the demonstration with double cordons in order to keep counter-demonstrators off the grass.
The host of the March was András Hajós, an emcee from a well-known TV show. On behalf of the organizers Peter Juhász pointed out that the Civil Obedience Movement achieved its main goals: it raised public awareness on the injustice of present drug legislation. The campaigne is over but the movement is going on, he said. Mr. Balázs Dénes, executive director of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union claimed the movement was succesful in legal terms as well because the police informed some of the self-reporters that their confessions and urinary test is not enough to launch a criminal prosecution. This is absurd considering that police arrests young people during raids of rave parties only for dancing in a club and force them to give urine samples. This is an obvious example of the controversies of drug related law enforcment and proves the unlawful nature of police raids, he said.