Tens of thousands in Orban rally in Hungary capital Budapest

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Tens of thousands of supporters of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his right-wing government marched in Budapest on Saturday in a demonstration of unity behind the populist leader’s contentious policies. Saturday’s rally was dubbed a “Peace March” and participants gathered along the western bank of the Danube River and wound through downtown Budapest toward the site of a rare public speech Orban delivered to supporters. Orban took aim at the European Union and a coalition of Hungarian opposition parties that have united to oust him from power. That coalition held its own event Saturday, where one opposition leader vowed that if Orban is defeated in national elections next spring, the country would pursue closer relations with the EU and do away with corruption.