Sírig tartsd a stigmád

In the early Kádár-era a seemingly new phenomenon appeared in the public arena of Internal Affairs: the gang (galeri). The Chief of Police in Budapest in his statements before the municipal Party Committee always referred to the increasing extent of gang crime during the 1960’s. In the meantime several kind of artists who were the representatives of the countercoulture of the Kádár-era used for themselves the label of member of gang (galeri). After the regime change few historians who researched this topic identified the gang (galeri) label with these artists and rebel intellectuals. Nevertheless the public sphere of Interior Affairs and the scientific discourse of criminology mainly considered gang (galeri) the groups who came from mostly working-class families and primarly committing ordinary offenses. This article found the origins of the phenomenon of gang (galeri) and interpreted the connection how and why the intellectuals recognize thenselves as gang members (galerista) instead of the juvenile offenders from a deprived social status.