Commemorations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising started in Budapest on Sunday, the eve of the national holiday.
Addressing a crowd at the Technical University, one of the focal points of the revolution, Justice Minister László Trócsányi paid tribute to the freedom fighters.
“Not only Hungary but Europe and the whole world have much to thank to the Hungarian freedom fighters of 1956.
They can rightly be listed among the ‘founding fathers’ of the unifying Europe. Had they been victorious, the Iron Curtain that divided Europe would have been demolished earlier,” he said.
Photo: MTI
Referring to the petition of 16 points drawn up at a student meeting at the university and sparking the revolution 61 years ago, Trócsányi said that an overwhelming majority of Hungarians continue to highly esteem political freedoms, national independence, rule of law, parliamentary democracy and social justice.
At that time, he said, Hungarians faced the key question whether they would ever join the free Europe.
“Now we are discussing what kind of Europe we want to see.
We want to have a say in shaping Europe’s future. As a free and independent country we are and want to remain part of the European processes and disputes,” Trócsányi said.
After the commemoration, thousands of people participated in a traditional torch-lit march from the university to Bem Square, another important location of the revolution.
Commemorations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising started in Budapest, photo: MTICommemorations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising started in Budapest, photo: MTICommemorations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising started in Budapest, photo: MTI
“One of the big lessons from the 1956 revolution and freedom fight is that we must not concede a single millimetre from our national independence,” state secretary of human resources Bence Rétvári told the crowd.
“Today we still have to fight for preserving our identity and culture, which came under threat in 2015 with the migration crisis,”
he said.
Zsolt Németh, head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said that, “just as many times before over the past decades, we are fighting together with our Polish friends to preserve our national sovereignty. The problem the European Union has with these two countries is that they stand up for their independence”, he added.
As we wrote before, the 28-year-old Emánuel Csorba lived at Körtér with his family in 1956, which meant that he was able to witness and capture the events of the revolution directly. The passionate photographer went from street to street and captured the historic moments of the last days of October, 1956. Photto gallery HERE.
Most of us know the storyline and there are many sources where you can read about the events, but today we want to share personal stories of civilians from the day. What better way to get an understanding of the case than from stories of the men in the streets? Read more HERE.
Commemorations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising started in Budapest, photo: MTICommemorations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising started in Budapest, photo: MTICommemorations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising started in Budapest, photo: MTI
On the 23rd of October, Hungarians commemorate the revolution of 1956, which was a nationwide uprising against the government of the People’s Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting until the 10th November. Every year, the public holiday is marked with commemorations all over the country.
According to origo.hu, one of the most anticipated programmes is the light-painting. On the 22nd of October, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and the Ministry of Foreign Affair and Trade, while on the 23rd the BME and the House of Terror will be illuminated with a spectacular light show.
The Open Parliament has been a very popular programme in recent years, so families will be able to visit the Holy Crown, the main staircase and the cupola hall this year as well (from 10 am on the 23rd).
As part of the cultural programmes, the House of Terror will be free to enter on the 22nd and 24th of October. The museum will be closed on the 23rd due to the ceremonial commemoration.
The Corvin, Tabán and Kino Café cinemas will welcome visitors with free screenings about the events of the revolution. Furthermore, the traditional torch-light procession will be held on the 22nd of October.
Soviet tanks on the Margaret Bridge – Photo: Wiki Commons By FORTEPAN / Házy Zsolt
Moreover, between the 22nd of October and the 4th of November, newsboys dressed in authentic clothes will be distributing papers with news from 1956 at the iconic locations/stations of the 4, 6, 47 and 49 tram lines – Móricz Zsigmond Circus, Szent Gellért Square, Kálvin Square, Széna Square, Jászai Mari Square, Nyugati Square, Blaha Lujza Square and the Corvin Quarter.
There’s going to be an “independence concert” in the B Hall of Millenáris from 5 pm on the 23rd of October.
Popular Hungarian bands like New Level Empire, Margaret Island and Irie Maffia will perform at the concert.
Regarding the countryside, the public holiday will probably be commemorated in most cities, so watch out for details and happenings on the main squares. If you want to combine the experience with a little extra, you might want to visit the Sausage Festival of Békéscsaba (19-22 October) or the Grey Cattle Gaieties in the Vajdahunyad Castle (20-22 October).
Featured image: www.facebook.com/MagyarországKormánya
Hungary’s 1956 revolution was commemorated at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York late on Friday.
Miroslav Lajcak, President of the UN General Assembly for the 72nd session and Slovakia’s Foreign Minister, was guest of honour at the event, which was attended by deputy secretaries-general of the UN as well as renowned representatives of New York’s political and art scene.
Opening the ceremony, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Katalin Bogyay commemorated the one-time UN Special Committee on the Problem of Hungary, also greeting the current representatives of the committee’s one-time member countries. She went on to honour the memory of former Danish diplomat Povl Bang-Jensen, who died in mysterious circumstances. Bang-Jensen was a UN official who protected the Hungarian witnesses of the 1956 revolution and their families.
As one of the lessons from the revolution and freedom fight that took place 61 years ago, Bogyay emphasised the need for a strong and effective Security Council. She said
Hungary supports the comprehensive reform of the Security Council and noted the importance of the principle of the responsibility to protect.
She said “freedom is not a premise; it is something that must be protected at all times”, and the international community must pay attention to this especially in the case of religious, national and ethnic minorities. She said
the protection of ethnic, religious, racial and language freedoms is one of our most important duties today.
She also noted the importance of taking action against contemporary slavery and human trafficking.
The national flag of Hungary was hoisted and lowered to half mast on Friday morning in a military salute to commemorate the leaders of Hungary’s revolution and freedom fight who were executed by Austria in 1849.
The state commemoration in front of Parliament was attended by President János Áder, Chief of Staff Tibor Benkő as well as members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the political parties.
The names of the 13 Arad martyrs were read out loud in tribute. The dignitaries then moved on to pay their respects by the memorial to Lajos Batthyány, prime minister of Hungary’s first independent, answerable government, executed in Pest on the same day.
October 6 was declared a national day of mourning in 2001.
In 1849, the thirteen generals of the revolution were executed in Arad and Count Lajos Batthyány, the first Hungarian prime minister was executed in Pest. The 6th of October is the day of the 13 Martyrs of Arad, a national day of bereavement.
“Our country’s retaining power has been determined for a thousand years by Hungarians who work and produce on Hungarian farmland”, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas said at an event organised by the Ministry to commemorate Saint Stephen, the founder of the State of Hungary, and mark the Day of the New Bread.
“Farmers formed the economic and social foundations of St. Stephen’s new state. They provided the country, the army and the castles with food, maintained the state, and if needed they took up arms to protect their homeland. The continued existence of the Hungarian nation is also unimaginable today without strong rural and farming communities”, the Minister highlighted.
“Today, we are not only celebrating St. Stephen, the founding of the state and the new bread, but also those newly decorated people who are an example to all of us with their determination and diligence. People who show Hungary that while they move forward on their personal paths, they are still able to do something for their community and affect others. Those who have received state honours have provided an example to all of us through their persistence and diligence”, Mr. Fazekas said.
The full list of 2017 state and ministerial award winners is available in Hungarian on the kormany.hu website.
In this year too, Hungary’s national day’s highlight was, of course, the fireworks at the Danube banks, which serves as the closure of the events on August 20. We collected the best photos from yesterday, but the truth is, you must see this amazing fireworks in live!
Speaking at a celebration of Hungary’s St. Stephen’s day national holiday in Kossuth Square on Sunday, István Simicskó, the defence minister, said in a speech at the oath-swearing of military officers that “nothing can replace the value of the homeland”.
“As long as there are Hungarian young people who choose military service, and, according to their oath, are even prepared to sacrifice their lives to defend the country, we have a national future”, the defence minister said.
“The celebration of the foundation of the state is at the same time a celebration of our Christian faith,” Simicskó said. “It is only the Christian faith that we have received from St. Stephen that can take us forward.”
“In order to preserve Hungary for our children and grandchildren, and to live here as Hungarians, we must protect our country’s borders and act against such dangers as mass illegal migration and terrorism,” the minister added.
Oath-swearing of military officers at the Kossuth SquareOath-swearing of military officers at the Kossuth SquareOath-swearing of military officers at the Kossuth SquareOath-swearing of military officers at the Kossuth Square
As we wrote yesterday, President János Áder also had a speech at the Kossuth Square on Sunday at a celebration of Hungary’s St. Stephen’s Day national holiday.
Jobbik leader Gábor Vona launched a signature drive for a European wage union at the party’s Aug. 20 event in Budapest. Parliamentary group leader of the ruling Fidesz party, Lajos Kósa, marking Hungary’s national holiday on Sunday, said St. Stephen’s legacy obliges Hungarians to follow the path marked out over a thousand years of its statehood.
At an event in Debrecen in southern Hungary, Kósa called Hungary “strong and independent; a Christian nation and a community of Hungarians who are always receptive but at the same time careful to preserve their culture, character, heritage and freedom.”
Lászlo Botka, the opposition Socialist party‘s prime ministerial candidate, said: “We must return to Europe”.
László Botka – Photo: MTI
“We can be a happy and coherent nation of the Carpathian Basin only if we take greater responsibility within the borders and beyond,” Botka said in Szeged, the southern Hungarian city of which he is mayor. He said being a patriot means “protecting our historical and cultural heritage for future generations and once again uniting our divided society.”
As we wrote yesterday, at the demonstration in support of a free press and a change in government, Gergely Karácsony, Dialogue’s co-leader, told the crowd that after the 2018 general election, the state founded by St. Stephen, which had been destroyed several times over the past 100 years, would have to be reestablished.
Jobbik: Battering ram in motion, last chance for the EU!
According to Jobbik press office, on August 20, Gábor Vona officially launched the wage union initiative: as part of Jobbik’s Family Day held in Budapest City Park, the president of the largest opposition party asserted it was the EU’s vital interest to reduce the wage gap splitting our continent, also pointing out that Eastern Central European governments had a great responsibility not to miss this historic opportunity. By signing Jobbik’s wage union initiative, Mr Vona officially launched the project at the party’s family event on August 20. Before that, the prime minister candidate of the strongest opposition party introduced the campaign running in eight EU member states to achieve the adoption of “equal wages for equal work” into the EU Treaties as a fundamental right for citizens.
Addressing the critics of the wage union initiative, the politician pointed out that some of them might not have taken the trouble to actually read the document so “they have no idea what it is about”. He added that the wage union concept did not involve raising wages overnight. “This is a European reform project! Because something is wrong in the European Union,” explained Mr Vona, referring to the unfulfilled promise made to the newly-joined countries, i.e., that their wages would be closer to those of the western states. Talking about the EU being enlarged only to gain new markets and cheap labour in the east, he called it a system error.
However, the wage union concept has already proven to be feasible, as shown by the historical example of East Germany: the former GDR is now the 14th most developed region in the European Union. “If East Germany could make it, so should the entire European Union,” Mr Vona asserted, adding it was only a question of true intentions. Further explaining the East German example, he said the integration of the GDR did not make Germany weaker. On the contrary, Germans grew even stronger. As he put it: “The European Union will either adopt the wage union, or there will be no European Union at all.”
Stressing that the Citizens’ Initiative was the highest level of popular action in the European Union, and if there were an even higher one, they would have taken it, he asked the question: “But why do I, Jobbik, the opposition have to do this?” According to his answer, the reason is that the Hungarian governments of the past 27 years based our economy on cheap labour. “Let’s toy with the idea what would have happened if Viktor Orbán had come up with the concept of the European wage union! Would Jobbik back it? Yes!” This was his way to emphasize that reducing the wage gap was a non-partisan initiative, asking: “How could anyone have the cheek not to support the idea of Hungarian people earning decent wages?!”
Talking about the non-partisan nature of the proposition, he said he was not fighting to get European wages for Jobbik’s supporters only. “The banner of the wage union was raised by Jobbik, but we welcome everyone who wishes to hold this banner high,” the prime minister candidate asserted.
In Mr Vona’s view, we have our own homework to do in terms of creating a new Europe. This homework is to create a Hungary that is able to use such an economic opportunity, since the only thing Fidesz has achieved in the past seven years is that the minimum wage slowly seems to reach the level of subsistence. He expressed his opinion that we could be the Switzerland of Central Europe if the fortune of 62 thousand billion HUF currently leaking through corrupt offshore channels were allocated to wages. He emphasized that giving everything to the PM’s strawman Lőrinc Mészáros was not a comprehensive economic policy. Instead, Hungarian small and medium enterprises should be supported to be able to enter the international market.
Mr Vona also stressed that the number of signatures for the wage union initiative was a message to Brussels. “It’s like a battering ram: the more of us push it, the easier it is to break through the gates of Brussels,” the president drew an analogy to show the historic opportunity. In response to a question, he said pensioners would also be better off with the wage union. Explaining why it is in the interest of pensioners to give their statements of support to the wage union cause, he said higher wages would generate higher pensions as well. He also pointed out that work in itself was not enough: “When you have decent wages for your work, that’s when you have it all.”
In terms of the wage union efforts, Jobbik relies on citizens who give their statements of support as well as those who actively contribute to the campaign by spreading the word: “We do need all Hungarian people in this matter because it is the last chance for the European Union. The fate of the EU will be decided in the next couple of years,” he asserted, adding that we cannot allow decisions to be made above our heads. “We must raise this battering ram together so that the European Union could truly belong to the people!” Mr Vona stated, stressing that their goal was to enable everyone to prosper in their own homelands. We may further contribute to the success of the initiative by continuing it in government, the politician explained the stakes of the 2018 elections. Jobbik’s president warned that “the Socialists and Fidesz are ready to join their forces to prevent a better future for Hungary”. So next year’s elections will have a long-term impact on Hungary: we will decide if our country should be governed based on obsessions or common sense, he concluded.
[button link=”https://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/33/public/index.do?lang=en” type=”big” color=”teal” newwindow=”yes”] WAGE UNION – European Citizens’ Initiative can be found here![/button]
Next year, six Saturdays will be workdays according to the decree of 2018 about national holidays which was published in Magyar Közlöny on Friday. However, there will be nine long weekends due to workday replacements, according to ProfitOnline.
According to the decree, next year’s working schedule will change, because people must work on 10th March, 21st April, 13rd October, 10th November, 1st December and 15th December, which are all Saturdays.
On the other hand, 16th March, which is the Friday following the national holiday, will be a rest day, 30th April right before the International May Day, 22nd October before the Memorial Day of the Revolution of 1956 (a Monday), the day after All Saints Day 2nd November (a Friday), and the Mondays of 24th and 31st December will also be days off.
Moreover, 20th August also falls on a Monday, just like Easter and Pentecost Mondays (2nd April, 21st May), so employees can expect nine long weekends altogether. 1st January also falls on a Monday in 2018.
The decree affects the schedule of all employers and their employees except the nonstop workplaces and those that operate on holidays as well.
Budapest, May 1 (MTI) – László Botka, the mayor of Szeged and the Socialist Party’s candidate for prime minister, called for the introduction of a subsistence minimum on Monday.
Speaking at the opposition party’s May 1 event in Budapest’s City Park, Botka said “it’s time to chase away Orbán’s government”, which, he said, “is not a government of the people and does not appreciate workers”.
Referring to the anniversary of Hungary’s accession to the European Union in 2004, Botka said Hungary had a dream, that of belonging to the European family of free and independent nations, but added that this dream had since been destroyed. He said the Socialist-Liberal governments in office before 2010 had failed to realise the threat of the global economic crisis and Hungary became one of the big losers, with workers feeling that there was nobody to represent their interests. It was this dissatisfaction that Viktor Orbán exploited, he said. “Since then, they have not just destroyed our dreams but depleted our future as well”, he added.
Photo: MTI
Botka said “Fidesz has betrayed and ruined the country”, dismantling democracy and pocketing the nation’s wealth. “It’s time to chase away this government”, which makes Hungarians “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s bonded labourers”, he said.
The Socialist politician called for protecting workers and reducing income and wealth inequality, strengthening trade unions, taxing luxury and creating a broad middle class.
Botka said the Hungarian state should guarantee a subsistence minimum for everyone who has worked throughout their lives and who has legal employment. Neither wages, nor pensions should be allowed to move below this level, he said.
Budapest, May 1 (MTI) – Gábor Vona, head of Jobbik, called for a “freer and fairer” Hungary at his party’s May 1 event on Budapest’s Óbuda Island on Monday.
The opposition politician noted the importance of the change that his party has undergone. He said Jobbik’s mission was not to keep one social group happy, but to make Hungary a strong, happy and free country. Vona said there were disputes in every party, but added that he thought Jobbik was the “most uniform and cohesive community” while Fidesz is kept together by the “booty”. He expressed his hope that many of those who had left the party would return.
Speaking of Jobbik’s key objectives, Vona said one of these was to raise Hungarian wages to the level of European ones, adding that he believes Hungary would become deserted unless the pay gap with western Europe is closed.
“Young Hungarians love their country,” he said, “but they are not willing to starve”. He criticised domestic trade unions for refusing to sit down to negotiate with Jobbik “even though they agree with the party’s objectives”.
Photo: MTI
Vona also talked about the so-called “landlords’ tax” that Jobbik pledged to introduce if they were elected to government, which would tax income increases above 300 million forints (EUR 972,000) per year. “Those who obtained assets unlawfully will have to say goodbye to these”, he said, referring to a law package that his party also intends to introduce once they are in office.
He also mentioned Jobbik’s proposed “Type D vetting”, which politicians would have to undergo, including a national security test, a wealth test and a psychiatric test. Vona said that his proposals were not targeted at Fidesz, adding that he would also apply them to himself. He confirmed that he would set a limit of eight years on the time a person could serve as prime minister, adding that his party also proposes that the country’s leaders should declare any funding they have received from abroad retroactively to 1989.
Speaking of a possible election coalition with other parties, Vona said there are “limits to political rationality”, adding that Jobbik wants to replace the “ruling elite” of the past 27 years.
He said one of the most serious issues in Hungary was the coexistence of Hungarians and the ethnic Roma minority and called for an honest dialogue on the matter free from taboos.
Budapest (MTI) – Some streets will be closed in central Budapest in the morning and again in the evening on Monday because of demonstrations, the capital’s police said on Saturday.
From 9.30am until 10am, the two lanes of Andrássy Avenue between Kodály Körönd and Heroes’ Square will be closed, in the direction of the square, the police said.
Between 6.45pm and 8pm, the stretch Szabadsag Square-Honvéd Street-Alkotmany Street-Bajcsy Zsilinszky Street-Podmaniczky Street-Izabella Street-Andrássy Avenue-Heroes’ Square will be closed.
In the morning, the Hungarian Workers’ Party will hold a demonstration.
A demonstration in the evening will be organised by the Momentum Movement civil group.
“Declaring Good Friday a public holiday raises awareness of the fact that it is worth thinking about the deeper meaning of this day”, the Minister of Human Capacities said in an interview for the Hungarian Reformed Church’s weekly magazine Reformátusok Lapja.
According to Zoltán Balog, making Good Friday a public holiday reinforces Christian roots and the deeper meaning of the holiday is that “there an be no success without sacrifice and no resurrection without death, and that there can be no Easter without Good Friday”.
“Suffering can have a deeper meaning, even if one of the messages of the consumer society is that suffering can be eliminated with suitable medication and via a balanced diet, lots of rest and a clever life strategy”, he pointed out. “However, the Christian message is that suffering is part of life, the antechamber of success, in which there can also be found meaning. This is not the sanctification of all suffering or a slavish resignation, but a courageous facing up to suffering. If this new national public holiday makes even just a few people think about this, it will have been a success”, he said.
Mr. Balog said the significance of the decision would appear gradually. “Good Friday is a public holiday beginning this year, meaning people don’t have to go to work, but for it to be a real day of celebration is something much deeper, and developing new attitudes requires time”, he explained.
“Declaring Good Friday a public holiday was enabled by the country’s economic performance, but the reason this particular day was chosen was because it not only has Christian significance, but also Protestant significance”, he said, explaining that Good Friday has become an independent day of celebration thank to Protestantism, and especially German Protestantism. However, according to the Minister this decision “can be a good thing for everybody”, for Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, the non-religious, young people, families, workers and employers alike.
In reply to a question on whether the Government was planning the introduction of further public holidays, the Minister said that no such measures were planned during the current government cycle, but if it is made possible by the state of the economy, the possibility could be reviewed at a later date. In addition to 24 December, Ascension Day on 15 August is also important to Catholics and could be considered, he said. 31 October has been removed from the agenda however, “after the Reformed and Evangelical churches showed restraint and themselves asked that Good Friday be made a public holiday rather than Reformation Day”, he added.
The Minister also spoke about the renewal of the agreement between the State and the Reformed Church, explaining that the goal of the amendment is to further reinforce the conditions for the undertaking of public duties by the Reformed Church, with particular attention to reinforcing the status of pastors who perform their duties abroad, and not just within the Carpathian basin, but worldwide.
You might know that the current British Ambassador to Hungary, Iain Lindsay is a very gallant man. He is even determined to learn the Hungarian language. He surprised us several times in the past years with videos, in which he speaks Hungarian like he’s always been learning it. In his newest video he beautifully recites a poem by Gyula Juhász in celebration of Hungary’s National Poetry Day.
Hungary celebrates National Poetry day on 11 April since 1964. The date is important, because it’s the birthday of Attila József, one of the best Hungarian poets who lived in the 20th century. The day is celebrated all around the country, and several events are organized to commemorate the poet’s achievements. Many reading circles invite poets and students to recite the poems, and several other poets’ works are also introduced.
Index.hu believes that Iain Lindsay is basically one of the coolest YouTubers, as he frequently posts videos in Hungarian. He didn’t only introduce himself in Hungarian upon arriving to our country, but also showed us his Scottish Budapest. But for now, enjoy Gyula Juhász’s most famous poem – recited by the British Ambassador.
But he wasn’t the only one to stun us with his kind Hungarian words. The French Ambassador to Hungary, Éric Fournier also posted a video in honour of the National Poetry Day. He recited János Lackfi’s “Billenytűk” (Key).
Celebrations were held nationwide and in Hungarian communities abroad to mark the anniversary of Hungary’s 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight, on Wednesday. We collected the best pictures, please check the photo gallery:
Budapest
A huge Hungarian cockade in Budapest, photo: MTIPolish participants in the march, photo: MTIPolish participants in the march, photo: MTIHussars in Budapest, photo: MTIThe Holy Crown of Hungary, photo: MTIHussar in Budapest, phoo: MTIHussars in Budapest, photo: MTIColorful events at the the Hungarian National Museum, photo: MTIColorful events at the the Hungarian National Museum, photo: MTIHussars in Budapest, photo: MTIHussars in Budapest, photo: MTIPhoto: MTIPhoto: MTIPhoto: MTI
SZEGED
Szeged,Hungary, photo: MTI
Hódmezővásárhely
Hódmezõvásárhely, Hungary, photo: MTI
Carpathian basin
March 15 commemorations were also held in ethnic Hungarian communities of neighbouring countries.
Several hundred people celebrated the revolution’s anniversary in Bratislava, organised by local Hungarian organisations and the Hungarian embassy.
Representatives of Hungarian organisations and ethnic minority self governments in Croatia laid wreaths of commemoration at a monument to poet Sándor Petőfi in Zagreb. The ceremony was attended by deputy state secretary at the Hungarian prime minister’s office Péter Szilágyi.
Canada’s Hungarian community held a commemoration in Vancouver’s Hungarian House, attended by state secretary Árpád János Potápi.
Székelyudvarhely, SzeklerlandTiszaderzs, 200-years old BibleTiszaderzs, 200-years old BibleKézdivásárhely, Szeklerland, photo: MTI/AP/Vadim GhirdaSzékelyudvarhely, Szeklerland, photo: MTI
March 15 commemorations were also held in ethnic Hungarian communities of neighbouring countries. State Secretary Levente Magyar spoke in Berehove (Beregszász), in western Ukraine, and said that the “glorious events of the distant past convey messages that are still valid today”.
Bácskossuthfalva, Vojvodina (Serbia), photo: MTI
Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén attended a celebration in northern Serbia’s Subotica (Szabadka) organised by Vojvodina’s VMSZ party. In his address, he said that Hungary has similar challenges now to the ones it faced in 1848; “for example when Hungary’s sovereignty is questioned in Brussels, telling us whom we should live together with”.
Hunor Kelemen, head of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, spoke at a commemoration in Salonta (Nagyszalonta, western Romania), and said that freedom in Romania is “not a rock-hard building but a garden which… needs to be recreated year after year; it may have old trees which call for pruning, and sometimes you need to plant new ones, too”.
Romania is at crossroads and it needs to chose “between rule of law, parliamentary democracy or an invisible but authoritarian power”, Kelemen said.
Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – Gábor Vona, leader of Jobbik, emphasised Hungarians’ desire for freedom in his speech he gave at his party’s commemoration of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight on Wednesday.
Hungary cannot be made subservient neither to “foreign procurators” nor to “domestic landlords”, Vona said, stressing that his party was “on the side of the people”.
He said Hungarians were demanding greater freedom, justice and financial security and urged that politicians should be held accountable.
Vona pledged that if Jobbik were to come to power, “politics will not be a synonym for mafia, but will be about public service.”
Photo: MTI
The party leader said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should not be the one to decide what issues can be put to a referendum, who can be president or if Hungary “should build more hospitals or stadiums”.
Vona also spoke to the couple of hundred people in attendance about a European civil initiative his party had launched with the aim of establishing a European wage union. The initiative calls for cementing the principle of “equal pay for equal work” in the EU’s founding documents, he noted. He said his party was not asking for “alms” but rather a level playing field and that Hungarian businesses could be made competitive through a new EU cohesion policy.
Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – Socialist leader Gyula Molnár lambasted the government for what he called a “lack of freedom, fraternity and equality” in Hungary, at a commemoration of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight on Wednesday.
“There can’t be freedom in a country where four million people are starving, can’t be equality where politicians and their families are getting rich, and can’t be fraternity where there are no common goals,” Molnár told an award ceremony of the Free Press Foundation in Budapest.
Referring to the closure of left-wing daily Nepszabadsag last October, Molnár said that the free press had become a thing of the past, which limits democracy as well. He added that the Socialists, once in power, would take away the papers from those who had purchased them from public funds.
Referring to a political campaign launched by his party, Molnár insisted that the rich, having a monthly income of over 1 million forints (EUR 3200) or assets over 100 million, should pay higher taxes.
The Socialist leader called on the people in the street, civil organisations, trade unions and opposition parties to all join forces to replace the government.
The Socialists want to become a party of change as Hungary will also choose it future in 2018, Molnár said, referring to next year’s parliamentary election.
Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – The leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) on Wednesday said freedom is only compatible with the rule of democratic law and institutions, which Hungary’s prime minister had ruined over the past seven years.
Speaking at his party’s March 15 commemoration, ex-premier Ferenc Gyurcsány called on his audience to dare to be free and be good Hungarians and Europeans at the same time. He said the freedom of the Hungarian nation is inseparable from the freedom of Europe just as it was in 1848.
Gyurcsány said “a key part of our shared European tradition is respect for human dignity, which the current Hungarian government neglects even though human dignity is not a right assigned to us by the government but one that all humans are born with and deserve.”
Gyurcsány said those who believe that isolation and rejection are the right answer to the current challenges the continent faces are having an argument not with the European Commission but with “our European roots””.
Instead of isolation, DK would like Hungary to be an open country where different mentalities can co-exist and people are not afraid of those belonging to different nations and dare to act with humanity, he said.
Gyurcsány said democrats must be able to shake hands because a democrat must not be arrogant, must not dictate, and must not claim the exclusive right to represent the truth.
A few hundreds or thousands are blowing their whistles to protest against “the lord of tyranny”, and those in power are trembling, he said, referring to the demonstration of the Együtt party during Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech.
“I do not think it is possible to topple the system with whistles but everyone has the right to show the prime minister that they want a democratic country which opposes tyranny,” he said.
Gyurcsány said DK considers it a fundamental national and patriotic duty to preserve peace and stability because “the lord of tyranny must be chased away” by legal means, by way of election.
