In light of the events of the past few days, we believe it is important to clarify several facts and misunderstandings.

Turbina is not a “drug venue”.

No drugs were found at Turbina, and no arrests were made inside Turbina. This is confirmed by the fact that during the surveillance conducted by the authorities, no police action took place within our walls. This was also underlined by one of the participants in the undercover police operation, Police Sergeant László Sütő, who eventually revealed his identity during one of our events.

We would also like to add that the Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) is making a false claim: our staff can testify, and we have camera footage showing the aforementioned operations leader informing us and shaking hands with our colleague in front of Turbina.

Immediate and drastic closure, completely disregarding the principles of graduality and proportionality

It is particularly notable that the decision forming the basis of the current measure names three individuals, two of whom had already been subject to the relevant procedure since 2025. The third person, a Tunisian national, has not been identified by us inside the venue, and his name has never appeared in our ticketing database. This raises the question: if the authorities had knowledge of the alleged activities, why did they not inform us, as part of their duty of crime prevention? Why was closure the first – and immediately the most drastic – step? Why was it impossible to follow the principles of graduality and proportionality? Why are the livelihoods of more than one hundred members of our team, including families with small children, being put at risk by a single administrative decision?

The issue is not the work of the authorities, but the lack of willingness to cooperate.

We want to emphasize: the problem is not that the authorities are conducting investigations. The problem is that we were not involved in this process in any way. We received no notification and no opportunity to cooperate or jointly address a potential problem. We firmly believe that cooperation between cultural venues and the authorities would be the only truly effective path – especially considering that our powers are limited: in the absence of legal authorization, our security service cannot carry out coercive measures, searches, or full body checks, nor can we install cameras in restrooms (and we would not want to do so in any case).

WE ARE APPEALING.

We are submitting an appeal in this case, in which we will point out that the police decision is based on weak and indirect evidence, as the closure relies solely on the testimonies of a few individuals who were detained, and who may have had an interest in shifting responsibility onto others. Neither Turbina nor its employees have participated in any criminal activity. We are also examining the possibility of initiating legal proceedings for defamation and damage to reputation.

We would also like to address our community.

We cannot allow this situation to intimidate us. Budapest’s nightlife and cultural life has always been about cooperation, freedom, and coming together. We ask everyone to continue attending concerts, clubs, and cultural events. Do not stay home out of fear. Situations like this can easily become part of communication campaigns built on division and the creation of uncertainty. The best possible response is to refuse to let ourselves be atomized as a community. Together we are strong.

ON SUNDAY, MARCH 8, AT 3 PM, WE INVITE EVERYONE TO JOIN US IN FRONT OF TURBINA FOR A GROUP PHOTO WITH OUR STAFF AND PERFORMERS.

To anyone who holds a fond memory of Turbina, we kindly ask you to support our survival here or via direct donation to this account number: 11705008-22573009. Please include ‘TÁMOGATÁS’ (SUPPORT) in the note/reference field.

The story doesn’t end here. We continue.