at 19, Lili Pankotai fights against the exile of young Hungarians

She became known thanks to her slam, which denounces the policies of the Hungarian government and the vision of Viktor Orban. In this country with a modest standard of living, Lili Pankotai does not hesitate to assert herself.

Hungary faces an exodus of its young people :33 700 Hungarians left the country last year, according to the Central Statistics Office. This is 4.6 times more than in 2010, when the nationalist Viktor Orban came to power. The most represented age category is that of 20-49 years old, but some young people are resisting, like Lili Pankotai, who has become the annoyance of the Hungarian government.

You have to see in the street the stares that glare at her, the people who turn around as she passes… Lili Pankotai, 19 years old, frail appearance, blond hair pulled back, is known throughout the country. She made the headlines two years ago during the protests against the national education reform, with her incendiary, crude slam against the government. “You think you can erase the thought ? My ass !”she chants.

These words earned her exclusion from her high school, she was forced to go to Budapest to continue her studies. She hesitated to leave her country, “but from the moment I was in this situation, it was responsibility that took overshe explains. I understood that I had more possibilities and chances to change this system than an average person and then, if others leave who will stay here ?”

His friends take odd jobs abroad or study in Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona… “If someone calculates at what age they will be able to buy a studio with a normal salary – not only in Budapest, but also in the provinces – then the choice to go abroad is obvious. That’s the biggest problem. And then have children…”sighs Lili Pankotai.

Hungary has the lowest standard of living in the European Union, after Romania. The “Orban” years made the situation worse, she said. His fight now : bring back young people. To get there, she plans to study law. “I looked at what it would take for me to become a good politician, not like the current opposition, the government party, or even the European Unionshe says. Someone capable of representing people, which is not a big habit in Hungary. And to do that well and to get there, the minimum is a law degree.”

Before taking the tram again to join a conference evening where she is invited, the young woman, symbol of a disappointed but determined youth, once again addresses Viktor Orban :
“As Generation Z says : ‘Brother, it’s dead !'”