China Protests, Budapest Mayor Inaugurates Uighur To Dalai Lama As Street Names

Illustration of Budapest, Hungary at night. (Wikimedia Commons/Wilfredor)

JAKARTA - Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony announced the renaming of several streets in the Hungarian capital, in protest of plans to build a Chinese university in the city.

The university in question is Fudan University, one of the most prestigious universities in China. The first Fudan campus construction project in Europe is targeted for completion in 2024.

The protests came not because of the construction of educational facilities, but because of concerns about the alleged practice of human rights violations by the Chinese government.

Therefore, the chosen street names also symbolize the struggle for human rights. Starting from Dalai Lama Street, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader has been branded a dangerous separatist by Beijing. Then there is the Free Hong Kong Road, referring to Hong Kong's struggle for democracy under pressure from Beijing.

There is also the Uyghur Martyrs' Road to commemorate alleged human rights violations and genocide against the Uighur Muslim minority. Until Bishop Xie Shiguang Road, the street that takes the name of a persecuted Catholic priest in China.

The mayor of Karacsony did this as a form of voicing concerns about China's influence-buying in Hungary, referring to the construction of the Fudan University campus which was supported by the Government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Illustration of a street in Budapest, Hungary. (Wikimedia Commons)

There is growing unease among Orban's critics about his proximity to countries including Russia, China, and Belarus, as well as his restrictions on media independence and higher education.

"We still hope that the project won't happen, but if it does then it should live up to these names", Karacsony said.

Meanwhile, China denies committing human rights abuses as it has always been directed at. In addition, China called the protests an attempt to hinder China-Hungary cooperation.

"Some Hungarian politicians are trying to stir up China-related issues to attract attention and hinder Sino-Hungarian cooperation. This behavior is despicable", said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, as reported by Reuters.

The Hungarian government has certainly defended the project, although a poll conducted by the liberal think tank Republikon Institute published on Tuesday stated that 66 percent of citizens opposed the project and only 27 percent supported it.

"The presence of Fudan University means it will be possible to learn from the best in the world", Tama Schanda, deputy minister for innovation and technology said last week.