Youth Resistance Movements Under the Post-2010 Orbán Governments in Hungary

Domestic opponents of illiberal governments are regularly framed by pro-government media outlets as internal traitors enabled by external enemies of the country. Members of youth resistance movements under the post-2010 Orbán governments have been described by Hungarian government-dependent media (public media and non-public pro-government media) not as autonomous, independent citizens legitimately applying the tool of peaceful protest to collectively advocate for autonomy in education, but as non-state actors under the tight control of political parties and the international liberal elite. This present chapter discusses the identity and operation of two youth resistance movements, the Student Network (Hallgatói Hálózat, HaHa) and FreeSZFE, which organized not only public protests but also university blockades. It explores whether they were, as alleged by pro-government media, closely controlled by any actor, be it Western liberal powers or political parties opposing the Orbán regime, or if they carried out their activities as autonomous actors. Findings are based on publicly available information supplemented by interviews with members of FreeSZFE focusing on the objectives and modus operandi of the two movements. Haha and FreeSZFE are found to have been self-organizing, non-bureaucratic non-state actors autonomously acting upon their own beliefs. Their operation was based on their members’ commitment to direct democracy and their shared goal to protect their rights and the autonomy of their institution.