The 60th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution

Hungary commemorates 1956 Soviet invasion

Budapest, November 4 (MTI) – The Hungarian flag was raised and then lowered to half-mast with military honours in front of Parliament on Friday to mark the 60th anniversary of the crushing of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising.

The flag will remain at half-mast throughout the day.

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The ceremony was attended by President János Áder, House Speaker László Kövér, Chief of Staff Tibor Benkő, representatives of political parties as well as state and military organisations and members of the diplomatic corps.

Photo: MTI
Photo: MTI

In the afternoon, defence ministry state secretary Tamás Vargha will pay tribute to the victims of the revolution at Budapest’s Rákoskeresztúr public cemetery.

In the evening, candle lighting ceremonies will be held nationwide in tribute to the martyrs.

The Hungarian government in 2013 declared November 4 to be a national day of mourning.

1956 committee calls for lighting candle in tribute to martyrs

Budapest, November 3 (MTI) – The 1956 commemoration committee asks all Hungarians to light a candle in tribute to the martyrs of the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution and freedom fight at 7pm on Thursday, Zoltán Balog, the president of the committee, told MTI.

On this day of national mourning, we are paying tribute to both the heroes and the victims, he said.

It was on November 4, 1956 that the Soviet military launched an invasion to quell the revolution, triggering armed resistance by freedom fighters.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/the-end-of-hungarian-uprising-of-1956-november-4/” color=”black” newwindow=”yes”] Related article: THE END OF HUNGARIAN UPRISING – 4 NOVEMBER 1956[/button]

Lighting a candle could serve as a symbolic act for a common cause which is for all Hungarians to commemorate, irrespective of political sympathies, faith or age, all those who fought and sacrificed their lives for Hungary’s freedom 60 years ago, said Balog, who also serves as human resources minister.

From this day on there should come a period of “more intense” commemorations, he said, noting that the invasion was followed by volleys in Budapest and the countryside, as well as trials and brute repression even after 1958.

“After 33 years of forced silence, denial and lies following the revolution, the truth could first be searched for and told only 27 years ago,” he said.

November 4 was declared a national day of mourning by the government in 2013.

1956 anniversary commemorated in Jakarta

Jakarta (MTI) – Hungary’s development minister stressed the importance of bilateral relations with Indonesia at a ceremony held at the Hungarian embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Miklós Seszták participated in an event that marked the 60th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising and revolution.

The minister expressed pleasure that bilateral economic, educational and cultural relations have developed dynamically since the Hungarian prime minister’s official visit to Indonesia in February this year.

Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia’s public works and public housing minister, highlighted successful cooperation in water management over the past months.

The event was attended by hundreds of Indonesian representatives and a delegation of the Hungarian foreign ministry.

The delegation will participate in the meeting of the inter-governmental committee on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, an MTI photo exhibition commemorating 1956 and presenting today’s Hungary will open in Jakarta.

Special photos of the 1956 revolution you’ve never seen before – PHOTO GALLERY

According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, 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.

These photos were published for the first time recently at the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the 1956 revolution. They depict several locations of the revolution, like Astoria, Széna Square and Móricsz Zsigmond Circus.

The photos were published by the son of Dr Emánuel Csorba, Ferenc Csorba, on his Facebook page. The work of the architect, onetime head of department at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, UNESCO expert, candidate of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and owner of Knight’s Cross from the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, has been admired and shared by many since the publication of the special photos.

Photos: Dr Emánuel Csorba – www.facebook.com/FerencCsorba

Copy editor: bm

Survey: Two thirds reject booing during PM’s speech

Budapest (MTI) – Two thirds of Hungarians called it unacceptable that supporters of some opposition parties booed and hissed during Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech at a recent commemoration.

The anti-government demonstrators tried to disturb state celebrations marking Hungary’s anti-Soviet uprising of 1956 last Sunday. They used referee whistles, horns and rattlers to express their disapproval of the government and kept booing and hissing during the speeches of presidents János Áder of Hungary and Andrzej Duda of Poland, too.

Sixty seven percent of those asked in a Nézőpont survey rejected their attitude, 22 percent called it acceptable and 11 percent declined to give an answer, the daily Magyar Idők said on Saturday.

The survey showed a marked division between supporters of the left-wing parties. While 52 percent of Socialist sympathisers rejected booing the prime minister, 83 percent of those backing the Democratic Coalition (DK), Együtt and the Dialogue party considered it acceptable.

A simultaneous poll showed that 34 percent of Hungarian adults backed the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance, 12 percent the opposition Jobbik, 8 percent the Socialists, 5 percent DK, 3 percent LMP and 2 percent Együtt.

Among decided voters, the ruling parties had 45 percent, Jobbik 23 percent, the Socialists 9 percent, DK 7 percent, LMP and Együtt 3 percent both, and Dialogue 1 percent.

The survey and the poll were conducted from October 24 to 26 on a representative sample of 1,000.

Photo: MTI

Jobbik: Shame, Socialist Party keeps defiling the memory of 1956 Revolution

Jobbik’s press release – The volley of shots fired in Kossuth Square on October 25, 1956 claimed the lives of hundreds of victims. The memories of these heroes were defiled by Fidesz and the Socialists, the two big parties of the 20th century, by bringing back the atmosphere of the 1950s. Fidesz has done so by its media lies typical of the Communist Rákosi regime, while the Socialists’ behaviour was in line with that of their legal predecessor, the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party.

The Socialists walked out of the Parliament’s commemoration, thus humiliating 1956 as well as the Polish and German dignitaries who attended this special meeting. Recently, the Socialist Party has elected János Barabás, the former Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party Central Committee, as vice chairman of the party’s general assembly, which is another insult to democratic values.

The Socialists’ Bolshevik figure Szófia Havas called 1956 heroes Fascist criminals and murderers, which, shamefully enough, was broadcast by the Russian national state television. This is not Havas’ first scandal: in March 2008, she walked out of a Budapest City Council meeting, when the body passed a resolution on erecting a memorial statue for the victims of the Katyn massacre. In June 2008, she voted against naming a square after Péter Mansfeld, a martyr of the 1956 revolution.

Jobbik calls upon the Socialist Party to clarify its position on the revolution and account for its past. If they refuse to recognize the Hungarian revolution of 1956, then they should leave the Hungarian political sphere along with their leftist vassals.

 

We find it outrageous that, 26 years after the collapse of Communism, the Russian state television’s programme features a show with Szófia Havas’ words quoted above. Jobbik welcomes the Hungarian Foreign Ministry’s measure to summon the Russian ambassador in this matter. Furthermore, Jobbik will press charges against Szófia Havas for denial of the crimes committed by the Communist regime.

Photo: MTI

1956 – Ilona Tóth’s case: In the show trial communists was convicted and executed

Ilona Tóth was born on October 23, 1932. Her childhood was poor materially but rich spiritually. The young woman’s parents divorced around the time of her birth, and her mother raised her on the meager salary of a schoolteacher”taking food from her own mouth” to feed her child. The mother bestowed two special gifts on her daughter: faith in the teachings of the Reform Church and a love of learning. As she grew up Tóth blossomed into a diligent, intelligent student. She was a daring athlete as well—a fencer a sky diver and a glider pilot. The little family’s economic straits were evident to her classmates—Ilona owned just one gray skirt and two white blouses. But she was always immaculately clean, washing one of the blouses out each night. Her exemplary qualities were widely admired, and she was elected to leadership positions in student organizations.

tothilonkaAs a revolutionary, Tóth tended selflessly to the wounded, whether street fighter of communist, Hungarian or Russian. When she was not caring for the injured, she was making forays to the Austrian border to secure food an medical supplies. The young intern barely slept, relying on caffeine tablets to keep going. And when the uprising was suppressed, she joined the resistance, hiding freedom fighters among the sick and wounded and assisting and assisting in the printing and distribution of illegal newspapers, including Obersovszky’s Életünk. But Tóth’s greatest sacrifice—the act that won her the epithet “Hungary’s Jeanne d’Arc”–occurred after her arrest, when she took responsibility for the murder of Kollár in a fruitless effort to protect two co-defendants charged with participating in the act.

When the death sentence was handed down around Easter, the anguished mother stated that she couldn’t bare to live if her daughter was executed. “Mother don’t even think about such things” replied Tóth. Before Tóth was executed her despairing mother asked “Where is Christ my child,” Ilona responded, “Here, right next to me.” During her mother’s final visit, Tóth reportedly comforted her with these words “Don’t cry mother, I will die as a brave Hungarian soldier. You know that the charge is false, and they just want to besmirch the holy revolution.”

Imagining postcommunism: visual narratives of Hungary’s 1956 Revolution
By Beverly Ann James

Ilonka’s criminal suit, 1957:

Ilona Tóth was executed in 1957, at the tender age of 25, with other revolutionaries, ordered by the first secretary of the communist party, János Kádár, a bloodthirsty lumpen prole.

Photo: http://mult-kor.hu/

Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade

Budapest, October 25 (MTI) – The revolutionaries of 1956 wanted a free, independent and democratic Hungary, deputy speaker of parliament János Latorcai told a conference commemorating the victims of the Oct 25 fusillade on Tuesday.

“We remember those who took action for their country’s independence in one of the most difficult historical moments of the 20th century”, Latorcai, of the co-ruling Christian Democrats, told the event.

The cruel revenge for the anti-Soviet uprising left deep wounds on Hungarian society but despite this, the revolution of 1956 was not a failure, he added.

Mass demonstrations in Budapest and the countryside claimed many victims at that time. Protesters gathered in front of Parliament on October 25 were shot from the rooftops of neighbouring buildings, killing scores of people. Some 70 victims have been identified so far and several hundred were wounded. According to historians, the shots were fired by members of the Hungarian secret police ÁVH and by Soviet soldiers.

The House Speaker, László Kövér in front of the Parliament

Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade
Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade
Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade
Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade
Budapest, 2016. október 25. Kövér László házelnök jelenlétében (j) félárbocra engedik a Magyar Köztársaság zászlóját az 1956. október 25-i Kossuth téri sortûz áldozatainak emlékére a Kossuth téren, az Országház elõtt 2016. október 25-én. MTI Fotó: Illyés Tibor
Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade
Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade
Parliament commemorates victims of 1956 fusillade – Commemorative ambulances

Photo: MTI

Foreign ministry summons Russian ambassador over state TV’s remarks on 1956

Budapest, October 25 (MTI) – Hungary’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said it had summoned Russia’s ambassador over what it said were “degrading” comments made on Russian state television about Hungary’s 1956 revolution.

The ministry said it would make clear to the ambassador that Hungary will not tolerate anyone disrespecting the revolution or its heroes.

LMP demands summoning Russia’s ambassador over state TV’s 1956 ‘pogrom’ remark

LMP noted that Dmitry Kiselov, deputy head of Russian state media, had described 1956 on air as the first “colour revolution”, for which the western powers, primarily the United States, were responsible.

LMP also chided the opposition Socialist party’s Szofia Havas for derogatory comments about 1956 in the same programme, and called on the party to exclude her from its ranks.

 

1956: The Hungarian – Polish relationship

Ujkor.hu writes about the historical relationship between Hungary and Poland, which is often praised and proudly discussed, especially because the two nations have backed each other up for a long time. So did they in October 1956, when the Polish society supported the Hungarian insurgents.

The changes provoked and fought for in Poland against the Soviets gave the ultimate push to the university students of Budapest to express their demands in 1956. The Polish gave hope and set an example to Hungarians, who started to believe that they might also carry out the necessary changes, and when the revolution broke out many Polish people correctly regarded it as an Anti-Stalinist uprising and were convinced that the Hungarians can win their freedom.

Wladyslaw Gomulka, Polish activist and politician gave a speech on October 20, 1956, in which he criticised the Stalinist regime, including the personal cult, terror, the centralism of industries and the collectivism of agriculture, and defined the beginning of a new era. He also talked about the events in Poznan in June 1956 and highlighted that the workers there protested against the flaws and not socialism itself.

The speech was published in the Hungarian Szabad Nép, which therefore enabled the people of Hungary to become familiar with Gomulka’s anti-Stalinists thoughts, and that the Polish people wanted more freedom and independence. However, the Soviets wanted to prevent this change. Hence, the students of Budapest marched to the statue of Bem apó to assure the Polish about their solidarity and to express that Hungary wants changes similarly to Poland.

 

The protesters acknowledged Warsaw’s exemplary position in showing the changes, but still highlighted that their own Hungarian way has to be followed, according to which socialism should be established through taking the national particularities into account instead of basing it on a Soviet example. The crowd of protesters showed a board saying “Solidarity with the Polish people” and a picture of the Polish coat-of-arms. Even their national flag was held during the march. By singing different rhymes Hungarians further expressed their solidarity and friendship with the Polish people, both nations aiming for independence.

Adam Wazyk, Polish poet was also present at the Bem statue. One of his poems meant the beginning of the de-Stalinization and was translated into Hungarian by Béla Horváth and published as Vers felnőtteknek. Wazyk could not present a speech to the crowds on October 23, however, he was inspired by the revolution and thus included it in a poem. Aside him, Zbigniew Herbert, Wiktor Woroszylski, Julian Przybos, Andrey Strumillo, Stefan Zarebski, Tadeusz Sliwak, Tadeusz Kubiak and Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz dedicated poems to the Hungarian Revolution.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/polish-president-andrzej-duda-marks-1956-anniversary-budapest/” color=”black” newwindow=”yes”] Polish President Adrzej Duda marks the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution in Budapest [/button]

Polish people from all over Poland volunteered to help the Hungarians’ fight for independence. The regional press did not fail to make accounts on conspiracies. The most active participants were the already Budapest-based Polish university students, such as Andrzej Bratkowski, Hanna Linsenmann and Lidia Widajewicz. Widajewicz even fought on the streets of Budapest with a machine gun for which she became the victim of a fatal accident – “contributed to” by the Polish internal security organisations – after going back home.

Moreover, Polish journalists also played a part in the revolution: they reported regularly on the events and encouraged the people to lend a helping hand. The writings of Wiktor Woroszylski (Nowa Kultura), Hanna Adamiecka (Sztandar Mlodych), and Marian Bielicki (Pro Prostu) greatly affected the Polish society. But, October 24 brought a speech by Gomulka stating that the state power will not tolerate any acts against the Polish state interests, and that it was about time to get back to the everyday work and stop the congresses and protests.

Nonetheless, the Polish society still focused on Hungary: the young workers, university students and intellectuals followed the events of Budapest, while Gomulka was constantly reminding them of the awful tragedies of the 1944 uprising of Warsaw in order to prevent a revolution. Therefore, the bloodshed in Hungary came, sort-of, handy for him to prove his right. Everybody seemed to understand that but, nonetheless, their enthusiasm did not seem to stop; they believed that the Hungarians will make it, and that their success will affect Poland.

During his speech, even on the previous day, the crowds held not only the national flag of Poland, but also that of Hungary. Also, in front of the Hungarian Cultural Institute students held the flag, written “Respect to the Hungarian nation” on it. In front of the parliament they put out a poster saying that “The Hungarians are screaming for help”, while others went to the Hungarian Embassy to express their solidarity with the nation.

Some others were gathering in the Old town with the motto “Warsaw-Budapest-Belgrade”, but this meeting was dissipated by the inland security corps. By 10 pm, the police arrested 70 people in the Polish capital. The next day the University of Technology hosted a gathering of 5000 people, and the students sent letters of solidarity to Hungary. Students of the Medical Academy in Gdansk decided to send delegates to Budapest to help the insurgents. Eventually, their plan could not be implemented due to the situation in the Hungarian capital.

Furthermore, factory workers of Gdansk established the Polish-Hungarian Friend Company, ordered a grieving of three days and asked the locals to put the Polish and Hungarian flags out onto buildings. Local papers also sent reporters to Budapest who continuously gave accounts of the happenings in Hungary. Following and during the days of the revolution many Polish towns organised solidarity protests: the biggest one was in Olsztyn on October 30.

Members of the protest held Hungarian and Polish flags and placed candles in the Red Army Square. A group of the crowd started to take off the street signs and renamed the square to “The Square of the Hungarian Insurgents”. They also had boards saying “We demand that the Soviets leave Hungary, We demand the sovereignty of Poland and Hungary, Free Poland – Free Hungary, The Soviet internationalism shows itself in Hungary”, and another board portrayed the map of Hungary, above it two red-starred hands of which blood was dripping while underneath the words “Get your hands off Hungary”.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/justice-minister-marks-1956-anniversary-poland/” color=”black” newwindow=”yes”] Justice minister marks the anniversary of 1956 in Poland[/button]

Notably, the Polish society did not only follow the Hungarian events or expressed solidarity symbolically by protests, but they volunteered to donate blood and provided help for Hungarians. The Polish Radio announced a call to help the “Hungarian brothers and sisters” on October 26, after which crowds of Polish workers and university students visited the donating stations. About 4000 Polish citizens gave blood.

The first Polish plane to carry donations to Budapest arrived on October 26 and right until November 3 fifteen planes full of donations landed in the capital. According to the data of the Polish Red Cross, during the three days of the revolution 795 litres of blood, 415 litres of plasma, 16.5 thousand blood substitutes, serums, medicines, and bandages, and a package of 24 tonnes of mainly food was given to the Hungarians.

The calculations of János Tischler say that all these supports had a value of (then) 2 million USD, which was regarded a great help eleven years post-WWII.  The Polish donations were about twice as much what other countries gave to Hungary all together. It did not cease after the Soviet military intervention either: by the end of January 1957, 31 million PLN voluntary financial donation, and about 11 million PLN of material donations were given to the country, aside the 100 million PLN of non-refundable goods aid.

Locals of Szczecin also took part in giving help as they sent their donations directly to their sister town Csepel. Even a stamp could express solidarity as it had the title “Szczecin-Csepel” and two workers shaking hands. Also, on November 1 students of the Szczecin University of Technology paid tribute as guards of honour and put up the Polish and Hungarian flags. Later, on December 10, a few thousands of people attacked the building of the police and the Soviet consulate, which they managed to occupy and set on fire.

The rebels protested against the Soviets’ occupation of Hungary ending the revolution and the kidnapping of Imre Nagy. The authority did not dare to publish the attack on the Soviet consulate: the propaganda suggested that drunk hooligans troubled the peaceful life in Szczecin. They communicated that young troublemakers under the influence of alcohol robbed several shops and attacked state buildings.

Witnesses of the events denied these claims, but these statements were not released either. Following the event, the authority recruited law enforcement “volunteers” from workers and university students, whose task was to look after the order. According to ujkor.hu, the rebellion in Szczecin was the only event in the Socialist circles that was directly caused by the crushing of the Hungarian Revolution.

Copy editor: bm

Mayors of Budapest, Vienna commemorate 1956

Vienna (MTI) – Budapest Mayor István Tarlós and his Vienna counterpart Michael Haupl commemorated together the 60th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 revolution in the Austrian capital on Monday.

“Hungarians are to date grateful to Austria and the Austrian people for accepting Hungarian refugees with an open heart and supporting them sixty years ago,” Tarlos said at a memorial plaque in front of the Trautson Palace in central Vienna.

Austria had to cope with a lot of difficulties after WWII, but its people were optimistic and were in no doubt that they had to help Hungarian refugees escaping Soviet rule, said Haupl.

MTI Photo by István Filep
MTI Photo by István Filep

The memorial expresses thanks to the citizens of Vienna for helping Hungarians in 1956.

Photo: MTI

Katinka Hosszú’s video message for the anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

The three-time Olympic champion Katinka Hosszú made a great video message for the anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian revolution. 

For the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, I would like to pay my respect to those heroes, who were fighting for the freedom of the Hungarian nation. The fights were not only on the streets of Budapest but also in the swimming pools of Melbourne. Me, as an athlete, I know and understand how it feels to represent a nation. I can only imagine the pressure that the Hungarian water polo team must have been under prior to the start of their game against the Soviet Union. Their courage and determination should be an example for all not just the athletes. Let’s be proud of them, for what they have done for our country and for all of us!
Let’s celebrate this special day together!

Polish football ultras paid tribute to the heroes of 1956

Origo.hu reports that the Legia Warszava – Lech Poznan football match brought a great act of remembrance, as the supporters of both teams used banners to pay tribute to the heroes of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/polish-president-andrzej-duda-marks-1956-anniversary-budapest/” color=”black” newwindow=”yes”] The Polish president gave a speech at the commemoration of the Revolution of 1956[/button]

Legia, the home team eventually won the match 2-1, partly thanks to Nemanja Nikolics, footballer of the Hungarian national team. The supporters of Legia had a huge banner, saying We are paying tribute to the heroes of ’56 (Tisztelgünk az 56-os hősök előtt).

foci-lengyel-56-1956-tisztelges

But the other half of the stadium was not indifferent either: they also had a banner with the words Friendship of nations (Nemzetek barátsága).

foci-lengyel-56-1956-tisztelges

Photos: facebook.com/ekstraklasa.hu

Copy editor: bm

NATO chief addresses 1956 photo exhibition at headquarters

 

Brussels, October 24 (MTI) – A photo exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet revolution opened at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday with an address by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

The secretary-general said, “The pro-democracy uprising could have led to a new dawn of freedom and peace in Hungary,” but Hungary’s revolution became trampled on by Soviet tanks.

“Thousands of ordinary people turned freedom fighters,” after authorities fired shots at peaceful demonstrators marching for free press, free elections and the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the autumn of 1956, he said.

He noted that his parents had worked as volunteers at an aid organisation helping Hungarian refugees at the Hungarian-Austrian border.

“NATO is built on values Hungarians fought for in 1956, namely democracy, individual freedoms and the basic principles of the rule of law,” he said.

Leftist opposition condemns ‘harassment’ of anti-govt protestors at Oct. 23 celebrations

Budapest, October 24 (MTI) – Opposition parties have slammed what they called “harassment” of anti-government protestors by participants at Sunday’s state celebrations commemorating Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising.

The leftist Democratic Coalition (DK) said that the way Sunday’s celebrations had been conducted, namely that the prime minister delivered his speech “behind cordons and surrounded by members of the security service” while protestors demonstrating against him “were being harassed”, were “serious warning signs” for Viktor Orbán.

Anti-government protesters used referee whistles, horns and rattlers to try to disrupt Sunday’ state celebrations at Kossuth Square in front of Parliament, and got especially loud during Orban’s speech. Several scuffles broke out between demonstrators and those who were there for the celebrations.

DK spokesman Zsolt Gréczy said that after the past weekend, Orbán had lost the “moral grounds” to be “outraged” over the events of the autumn of 2006, when anti-government protests regularly turned violent, leading to clashes between protestors and police. Gréczy said DK had chosen not to take part in the protest at Kossuth Square because they considered it important to mark the national holiday “with dignity”.

 

Meanwhile, the Dialogue Party has called on the police to review footage of Sunday’s scuffles and launch investigations against those who had “harassed” protestors. Dialogue board member Richárd Barabás told a press conference that the “unity” of the national holiday had been “violated by physical abuse”. Barabás insisted that those who had “assaulted” the protestors had been “riled up” by the prime minister.

The Liberal Party blamed the government for the celebrations “turning violent”. Liberal Party leader Gábor Fodor said the incidents that had transpired during and after the state event were “unworthy” of the spirit of 1956 or a European democracy.

UPDATE

Parliamentary leader of the ruling Fidesz party, Lajos Kósa, told a news conference on Monday that in accordance with the high risks associated with an event of the nature of the national commemoration of 1956, several measures such as cordons and crowd-control devices had been used.

He called the dog-whistles during the commemoration “immeasurably crass”.

Commenting on the situation on Sunday which some have compared to the dismantling of cordons by Fidesz officials in 2007, he said Fidesz politicians had acted in an empty square and had not taken down cordons which were there to guarantee the public’s safety.

Photo: MTI

US Vice President Joe Biden praises 1956 revolution, Hungarian democracy

Washington, DC, October 24 (MTI) – US Vice President Joe Biden praised Hungary’s anti-Soviet revolution of 1956 and Hungarian democracy in a letter sent to the Hungarian embassy in Washington, DC on Sunday.

Biden noted that sixty years ago — although they barely had any weapons — Hungarians took to the streets with courage and determination to rise up against oppression and fight for their rights.

Although the revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks, the world took note of the courage displayed by Hungarians, Biden wrote. The uprising captivated an entire generation, not just in Hungary but all throughout central and eastern Europe, he added.

The story of 1956 later helped inspire others who wanted to rise up against oppression and eventually led to the restoration of peace and freedom in Hungary and Europe, the vice president wrote.

He noted that Hungary had played a key role in opening up the borders of eastern Europe in 1989 and helping East German refugees escape to Austria. Hungary’s actions helped bring an end to Soviet rule in the region, he added.

Over the past decades, Hungary and the US have been working hard to support democracy and ensure the guarantee of human rights and the rule of law, Biden said. Hungary’s history has also helped inspire other countries in their fights against oppression and autocracy, the vice president added.

Photo: https://www.facebook.com/oseinkhagyatekaioroksegunk/

Several commemoration events were marking the 1956 anniversary in Canada

Washington, DC, October 24 (MTI) – Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Economy Minister Mihály Varga took part in several commemoration events marking the 60th anniversary of Hungary’s anti-Soviet uprising of 1956 in Canada over the weekend.

Speaking in Montreal, Szijjártó said that rather than opting to build a parallel society in their new home, Hungarians living in Canada had contributed to the achievements of that country.

“If someone were to look back on our history, they would have no doubt that the Hungarian nation is not only a nation of freedom-loving people but also one of freedom fighters,” the foreign minister said.

Szijjártó said the revolution of 1956 had proved that dictatorship “cannot take root” in Hungary. It also became clear then that if the freedom or sovereignty of the Hungarian people “appears to be violated in the slightest degree” then they are prepared to rise up even against “a superior force”, he added.

However, when Soviet forces entered the country to crush the revolution, Hungarians “like so many times throughout their history, were left to fend for themselves,” Szijjártó said. “Although it was clear to the world what was happening in Hungary, the international community remained silent… Even the UN Security Council failed to provide help to Hungary,” he said.

Szijjártó said Hungary was proud of the Hungarians who had contributed to making Canada the “great country” it is today, expressing gratitude to the country for taking in Hungarian refugees in 1956.

Meanwhile, Economy Minister Mihály Varga attended commemoration events in Toronto. Speaking to MTI over the phone after the celebrations, Varga said he had attended a wreath laying ceremony in the city’s Budapest Park. The event was also attended by Canadian politicians, including the speaker of Ontario’s legislative assembly. Forty Hungarians living in Canada took their oaths of citizenship at the event. Varga said that the skills and qualifications of Canadian-Hungarians had helped them become instrumental in Canada’s progress over the years.

The Hungarian Hello Wood’s installation in Budapest Park (Toronto)

 

Photo: MTI, Hello Wood/Gergely Szinnay

1956 – Gala at Hungarian State Opera marks anniversary

 

Budapest (MTI) – A gala performance was held at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest to mark the 60th anniversary of the failed anti-Soviet uprising on Sunday evening.

The gala was attended by President János Áder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and House Speaker László Kövér.

Before the performance, Human Resources Minister Zoltán Balog said in his address that a people must fight for their freedom, self-determination, and rule of law. He warned that the fight is incessant for those values and noted that each people should have the right to determine their own fate.

Balog Zoltán

The message of 1956 also suggests that “rich countries should not pass decisions over the less prosperous”, Balog added.

Photo: MTI