The Association of Professional Theatres of the Czech Republic shows solidarity with SZFE

18/09/2020

Freedom of the arts, like freedom of learning and freedom of expression, is indispensable for a free and democratic society. The Association of Professional Theatres of the Czech Republic stands in solidarity with the students, teachers and staff of the Budapest University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE) who were stripped of their powers while trying to defend cultural freedom in Budapest against the Hungarian government's interference in the institutions' legal right to autonomy.

I SZFE is a renowned 155-year-old institution of higher education.

The free development of education in the arts, together with freedom of artistic expression and freedom of research, are fundamental values ​​of our European societies and are non-negotiable.

We therefore fully support the students' call of September 1st to restore and guarantee the full autonomy of the Budapest University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE) and to abolish the newly created foundation.

MgA. Stanislav Moša

Chairman of the Association of Professional Theatres of the Czech Republic