Support of the students and teachers of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest

The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague is concerned with the situation at Budapest’s University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE) where the top officials of the University resigned on Monday, 31 August in protest against the newly designated management board. Through a government intervention, the University was transformed from an institution governed by public law into a private foundation. After the top officials’ resignation, the University’s students took the building and started an occupation strike. Thousands of people protested against the government’s actions, which undermine the independence of the University of Theatre and Film Arts, on 6 September.

The Academy of Performing Arts hereby voices its support for the students and teachers of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest who are fighting on the academic soil to maintain democratic principles and the University’s financial and political autonomy. It is critically important that the University remains an independent institution without any political influence.