A group of Bangladeshis, alongside a few locals, in Budapest, Hungary, came together to show their support for the Quota Reform Movement. Tazrian Tithi, a graduate of the Institute of Business Administration, Jahangirnagar University (IBA-JU) and currently working at a multinational company in Budapest, was one of the main organisers of this show-of-support in the country. 

"My cousin, who is an HSC candidate, was the first one to inform me that the quota reform protests were starting again," said Tithi. "That's because he knew that one of my friends was shot with a rubber bullet during the 2018 quota reform protests. From the beginning, the protests were peaceful, and whenever I talked to my cousin, I'd ask about the situation. However, recently, when things escalated, I became more concerned. My sister is currently a JU student, and I have another cousin studying at Eden Mohila College. These girls have been very brave and they have been participating in these protests from the beginning, and I couldn't be more proud."

"But then, on July 15, some JU juniors started sharing live videos in front of the VC residence, showing how outsiders were attacking them. They were panicking and some were even bleeding. I then saw the police arrive and instead of protecting the students, they started throwing tear gas at them," Tithi added. 

Photo: Jubaier Hassan Munna

"I just couldn't bear those sights. I'm living 6500 km away, but the pain of my JU juniors was so intense that it left me weeping all night. Then, in the morning, I decided to reach out to our local community here [in Budapest] so that we could show support and solidarity to our brothers and sisters [participating in the Quota Reform Movement] in Bangladesh and stand up against the assault on those unarmed students," Tithi continued. 

Tithi was joined by more than 35 other Bangladeshis living in Budapest. Students in other Hungarian cities also voiced their support. Budapest locals also showed their support and concerns regarding the situation in Bangladesh. 

"What happened today in JU and Dhaka University (DU) is unbearable," Tithi added. "We feel privileged to live outside of all this, but at the same time, guilt is killing us for not being able to do anything for our little brothers and sisters. May Allah make them more resilient and protect them from all harm."