On 15 March, approximately 10,000 people attended a celebration of press freedom day in Budapest, reports the European Journalism Center (EJC) based on information from Reuters. The event was separate from the country's "official celebrations" which commemorated Hungary's national holiday and the anniversary of the 1848 revolution when Hungary gained its independence from the Hapsburg empire. Speakers at the event criticised "the government's increasing control over state media," reports EJC. Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky, who was among these speakers, strongly criticised Prime Minister Viktor Orban's creation of a state media supervisory body. This body is constituted by government nominees only, even though Hungarian law specifies that "state media must be controlled by bodies that include an equal number of government and opposition nominees." On 14 March, over 4,000 Hungarians participated in another demonstration for press freedom. At this rally, members of the opposition announced that they intend to appeal the composition of the media supervisory body.

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