Hungary lawmakers join protesters to oppose 'slave law'

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Protesters in Budapest, Hungary, are braving sub-zero temperatures to oppose the country's right-wing leadership -- including the new "slave law" that allows employers to require more overtime from workers.

A number of Hungarian lawmakers joined protests Sunday by sneaking into the state-run television headquarters with a list of demands, including a repeal of the "slave law" that was passed last week.

Istvan Ujhelyi, a member of European Parliament for Hungary's opposition socialist party, tweeted, "We will not back down until we can read the demands of protesters."

About 15,000 people marched through Budapest Sunday to oppose the new law -- the fourth since Wednesday -- and another was set for Monday. It's the largest sustained display of opposition since Prime Minister Viktor Orban took power in 2010.

Riot police used tear gas against some of the protesters, who chanted "factory of lies" outside the television headquarters.

The so-called "slave law" forces employees to work up to 400 hours overtime a year. Protesters are concerned about the parallel judicial system that severely limits judicial independence.

Peter Kreko, executive director of Political Capital, a research group in Budapest, watched the protest unfold.

"How long will this go on for, we really don't know," he said. "But it's a significant mass -- in the sense there is a committed opposition against the government, and I do think it can be the starting point of a broader movement."

In a video posted on Twitter, opposition lawmaker Akos Hadhazy is forcibly hauled away by security guards while trying to get airtime on state-run media.

MUST WATCH: This is what happens when an opposition MP tries to get air time on public media in Hungary. Akos Hadhazy is roughed up and dragged away by armed security guards. #Hungary pic.twitter.com/7wa8ImFp1u

- Benjamin Novak (@b_novak) December 17, 2018

Lawmaker Bence Tordai said he climbed over a fence Monday morning to get inside the television headquarters. He's working to form an alliance with other opposition parties to resist Orban.

"It's clear that we will need to wait here until then," Tordai said in a phone interview with The Guardian.

The state-run television channel made no mention of the opposition party MPs who were camped out inside the building. The state media said the protests were stirred up by "pro-migration forces."

Orban's Fidesz party has a two-thirds majority in Hungarian Parliament.