Hungary’s opposition parties used the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution to warn about threats to national freedom, criticise Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government and call for political resistance. At the Fidesz–Christian Democrat commemoration in Budapest, former President János Áder recalled how the anti-Soviet uprising shook the world, while Fidesz parliamentary leader János Bóka accused the government of undermining democratic freedoms. At a separate event, Our Homeland leader László Toroczkai announced a new campaign of “national resistance”.
The commemorations took place on Friday, 23 October 2026, as Hungary marked seven decades since the uprising against communist dictatorship and Soviet domination.
While official ceremonies focused on the revolution’s historical legacy and Hungary’s European future, opposition speakers drew parallels between the events of 1956 and present-day political disputes.
Fidesz supporters gather in Budapest to commemorate the 1956 revolution
The opposition Fidesz party and its Christian Democrat ally, KDNP, held their main anniversary event in Bem József Square, a historically significant location on the Buda side of the Danube.
The square was one of the starting points of the demonstrations on 23 October 1956, when thousands gathered near the statue of Polish general Józef Bem before the protests developed into a nationwide uprising.
According to Hungarian news agency MTI, participants filled the square, with some arriving in a procession from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
The march, organised by the Flame of ’56 Foundation, featured a 1,848-metre-long Hungarian tricolour banner and a Székely flag.
The event opened with the national anthem and an address by Fidesz MP Gábor Szűcs.
János Áder: The 1956 uprising shook the entire world
Former Hungarian President János Áder focused on the historical significance of the revolution and the sacrifices made by those who resisted Soviet rule.
He recalled that by 1956, Hungarian society had become increasingly disillusioned with the communist system established after the Second World War.
Áder said the uprising had shaken the Soviet empire and demonstrated the strength of Hungarians’ desire for independence.
He emphasised that remembrance remained a collective responsibility, calling on people to honour the revolution’s victims through quiet acts of respect, including visits to Plot 301 of Budapest’s New Public Cemetery.
The burial site became a symbol of communist repression after several leading figures of the revolution, including executed Prime Minister Imre Nagy, were buried there in unmarked graves.
For Áder, the international impact of the revolution remained central to its significance, even though Soviet military intervention ultimately crushed the uprising.
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Fidesz accuses government of threatening political freedom
Other speakers adopted a more confrontational tone towards the current government.
Fidesz MP Gábor Szűcs compared the government’s National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office with the ÁVH, the communist-era secret police notorious for political persecution.
He alleged that the authorities were using similar methods against political opponents, claiming that Hungarians once again needed to regain their freedom.
The comparison was a political accusation made by the opposition politician, rather than an established equivalence between the two organisations.
Fidesz parliamentary group leader János Bóka also claimed that fundamental democratic freedoms were under threat.
“There is no political police in a free country,” Bóka said, arguing that authorities should not intimidate political opponents or use arrests as a form of political pressure.
He accused the government of attempting to weaken the opposition and warned against what he described as efforts to recreate a one-party political system.
Bóka argued that Hungary’s independence could not be separated from its freedom, presenting the 1956 uprising as a historical lesson for contemporary politics.
He also criticised the official commemorative session in Parliament, dismissing it as a “cheap farce”, and said Fidesz preferred to celebrate alongside Polish and Italian allies.
Looking ahead, Bóka warned that difficult years awaited the opposition but urged supporters to remain organised.
He called for the creation of “circles of freedom”, presenting continued political mobilisation as a central task for Fidesz.
Former minister’s family reads letter from detention
One of the more personal moments at the Bem Square gathering came when the wife of former culture minister Balázs Hankó appeared on stage with their children.
She read a letter from her husband, who is being held in connection with the National Cultural Fund corruption investigation.
In the letter, Hankó described himself and others detained in the case as “political prisoners”, rejecting the allegations against them.
He asked supporters to spread the message that those under investigation were innocent and appealed for solidarity.
His claims of political persecution were presented as his own position; they do not in themselves establish that the criminal proceedings are politically motivated.
The episode reflected how ongoing disputes over corruption investigations have become part of the wider confrontation between the new government and the former governing parties.
Mária Schmidt opposes changes to House of Terror Museum
Historian Mária Schmidt, the former director-general of Budapest’s House of Terror Museum, strongly criticised government plans to reorganise the institution.
The museum, located on Andrássy Avenue, documents political persecution under Hungary’s Nazi-aligned Arrow Cross regime and the subsequent communist dictatorship.
The Tisza government has presented the proposed changes as an attempt to create a more balanced and impartial exhibition.
Schmidt, however, warned that the reorganisation could alter the presentation of communist-era crimes and the memory of their victims.
She criticised proposals to reconsider the museum’s Gallery of Victimisers, which displays photographs of individuals associated with political repression.
“We will not allow it,” she declared, calling on supporters to resist the changes.
Schmidt also argued that the heroes of 1956 remained important symbols of historical justice and warned against what she regarded as attempts to reinterpret the revolution’s legacy.
Our Homeland announces ‘national resistance’ at separate 1956 commemoration
The opposition Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazánk) held its own anniversary gathering at Corvin Passage, another landmark of the 1956 revolution.
The passage was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting between Hungarian insurgents and Soviet forces during the uprising.
Party leader László Toroczkai announced plans to establish “national resistance circles”, which he said would oppose government decisions the party regarded as contrary to Hungary’s national interests.
According to MTI’s report published by Infostart, Toroczkai said the groups would use civil and political means to organise resistance.
Their first announced campaign would target amendments to Hungary’s child protection legislation.
Toroczkai called on parents to submit written declarations opposing sessions delivered by representatives of LGBTQ organisations to their children.
He also criticised the government’s decision to honour writer and Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai and pianist András Schiff with state decorations.
In his speech, the party leader objected to the invitations extended to several international figures for the anniversary events, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He accused European leaders of pursuing policies that threatened national sovereignty, presenting his party’s planned resistance campaign as a continuation of Hungary’s historical struggle for self-determination.
Our Homeland deputy leader Máté Tóth also emphasised the importance of protecting Hungary’s national identity and independence.
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The legacy of 1956 remains central to Hungary’s political divisions
The opposition commemorations illustrated how differently Hungary’s political parties interpret the contemporary meaning of the 1956 revolution.
While Áder concentrated on the uprising’s historical importance, Fidesz politicians used the anniversary to challenge the current government’s conduct, particularly over corruption investigations, political freedoms and the planned reorganisation of the House of Terror Museum.
Our Homeland, meanwhile, focused on national sovereignty and announced a new grassroots political initiative.
The gatherings also took place against the backdrop of the official commemorations organised by Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government, which emphasised democratic renewal, national unity and Hungary’s place in Europe.
Seventy years after Soviet troops crushed the uprising, the anniversary remains an important occasion for honouring the revolution’s victims. At the same time, the speeches in Budapest demonstrated that the meaning of freedom, independence and the legacy of 1956 continues to be debated across Hungary’s political spectrum.
