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TRUE CRIME

The Hungarian Homeless Serial Killer

Living on the streets is a crime in Hungary.

Akos Peterbencze

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It’s hard to estimate the number of homeless people in Hungary. Several organizations tried over the years, but only one could determine that approximately 12 000 people lived on the streets in 2016. Most of them are in the capital, Budapest, which has more homeless people than almost any other Eastern European capital.

The Hungarian government isn’t concerned about them since homelessness is bad for politics. They ignored the situation for decades without acknowledging the fact that it’s become a real social issue. Then, in 2018, they passed a law that banned homelessness. Now, the Hungarian Constitution says that “Habitual residence in a public space is forbidden.” The police are allowed to confiscate and destroy a homeless person’s belongings at any time, take them into custody, and, ultimately, make them face trial and a prison sentence.

It’s no wonder if the homeless turn to violence and crime in such circumstances in order to survive.

On August 26, 2020, a homeless man stabbed another homeless person on Kámfor street in Budapest. When the police arrived, the bleeding victim was still conscious and gave them a description of the man who tried to kill him in his sleep. After that, he…

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Akos Peterbencze
Akos Peterbencze

Written by Akos Peterbencze

Freelance Grinder. TV Freak. Film lover. Regular contributor at Paste Magazine. SUBSTACK: https://thescreen.substack.com/

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