Howdy y’all,
Sorry for the infrequent posts, I promise to put some Oktoberfest pictures up and provide some insightful comments about Munich by the end of this weekend. This post is for class, so please skip it if you’re not interested in the Hungarian riot police.
Last Wednesdays on the team JSBP trip we visited the Hungarian riot police headquarters. We took a quick train ride a few stops past Keleti station and hopped off in front of the music venue that George Michael just played (our Hungarian friend Ildiko loves his smooth tunes). We entered a strange complex on a side street surrounded by massive walls topped with barbed wire and billboard signs. I must admit this was the first time I had ever seen a police station that took advantage of selling advertising space at the top of their building.
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| Yo Quite Badgering Me (get it, it's a badge) |
Upon entering the headquarters we were greeted by countless uniformed cops, all of whom seemed very young and well put together. We later learned during a presentation about the station that much of Hungary’s future police force comes here for a yearlong internship after they graduate from school. Over the course of this year they train under some of the country’s best and brightest officers, many of whom work for this important branch of Hungarian law enforcement.
Hungary’s riot police act more like a national police force than any normal US city or state SWAT team. They are often the first to be called in to action whenever there is any sort of problem within the country's borders. If there is a terrorist threat, the riot police are first to arrive on the scene. If there is an important member of the Hungarian government traveling amongst the public, the riot police provide the security. If there is a volatile situation in any county of Hungary, such as a bomb scare or a demonstration gone wrong, the riot police will be in charge of bringing the situation to grips.
It was pretty cool to get an inside look at such a young country’s national police force. The riot police have been highly criticized here over the past few years. During 2006 there was a political up rise amongst the citizens of Hungary due to which the police were forced to react to with violence. Many felt as though their response was much too hostile. They used rubber bullets against Hungarian protesters in ways that many Europeans found to be unethical, and many Magyars were severely injured.
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| Hungarian Football (only one team gets helmets) |
The way that a police organization handles unruly citizens is an art that must be acquired over time. Police brutality is not isolated to Hungary and has been present throughout much of our own history (just ask Rodney King). The men and women of the Hungarian riot police seemed as though they had learned very much throughout their short span of existence, and I’m sure they will continue to find the right methods to ethically and effectively provide justice to the citizens of Hungary. They no longer use rubber bullets, which is definitely a step in the right direction (however, they did seem to be very fond of their ak-47 tear gas launchers).
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| Tear Inducing |
But seriously kids, let's not start any riots in Hungary.
Keep it keepin and I’ll be back with more this weekend,
Keep it keepin and I’ll be back with more this weekend,
Love,
Mama’s Boy
Yo
ReplyDeleteI saved the worst for last so here I am to comment on your blog. I enjoy your mention of the AK-47, I thought they were pretty awesome. Seeing the weapons and the mustard gas shooters were great!
The most interesting piece of your blog is definitely when you talk about the anger that came in 2006 from the citizens towards the Riot police- I had no idea this had happened. You often hear about citizens complaining about the brutality or harsh actions from police officers but I did not know there had been a recent problem of it here. Interesting. As you mention, the riot police have already made adjustments to change their ways in hopes of having a better image to the people. It is certainly important for the majority of citizens, in any nation, to feel they have a good relationship with law enforcement so in a time of need they can count on them.
this is a super good post homie
I've never read any of your writing before, so I really appreciate the way you mix a little bit of humor into your captions. It breaks up the gravity of the topics. Also appreciated the shout-out to Ildiko, and her love of George Michael. I agree with Nell, I didn't know that Hungary dealt with a dispute between citizens and riot police. It's good to know that the nation learned from their misjudgments, and no longer use rubber bullets. (You're right, though, that one officer was pretty enthusiastic about the tear gas guns...) Really good job on the post, though, keep it up.
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