Hungary Accuses US Of Betrayal As Nation Remembers 1956 Revolution

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News reporting from Budapest, Hungary

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s rightwing government accused the United States on Tuesday of again abandoning the nation as it did during the 1956 Revolution against Soviet domination and communism.

“The revolution had failed because the U.S. had “abandoned” Hungarians,” said Gergely Gulyás, the head of the prime minister’s office, during a commemoration.

“The betrayal of yore from the West is mirrored in our everyday lives. Those who then weren’t bothered by the Hungarians’ captivity are now bothered by their freedom. Those unfazed by Hungary being forced into Soviet dependency are now disturbed by its independence…,” he added.

His remarks came amid mounting tensions between the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, which has faced criticism over its perceived autocratic style and corruption.

Orbán, who has denied wrongdoing but refuses to answer questions about controversial tenders involving friends and family members, supports former President Donald J. Trump in his race to the White House.

“Those who had to do nothing for freedom in the past 80 years are now questioning the democratic commitment of those raising the flag of freedom during a dictatorship,” Gulyás stressed.

He told a crowd at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics that younger generations must be conscious that “our freedom today was born out of the 195the revolution.”

FREEDOM MARCH

At the 1956 freedom march from that same university to Bem Square near Margaret Bridge, “the fear of nearly a decade was lifted,” Gulyás said. The events “changed the course of history and reconnected a nation fragmented by the dictatorships of the 20th century,” he noticed.

Soon after, several thousand Hungarians, many walking with torches, remembering the freedom fighters, walked to Bem Square, where Hungary’s parliamentary speaker condemned the European Union’s alleged interference in Hungary’s affairs.

László Kövér said, “Hungary, which was meant to be merely a pawn to be knocked down in the chess game of the Eastern and Western powers, rebelled and, even if for a short time, became a bastion of a free and Christian Europe again,” he said. However, “The sacrifice of those thirteen days [of 1956] also obliges today’s generations.”

The 1956 revolution began on October 23, with a few hundred university students protesting Soviet repression. It snowballed to 200,000 protesters on the streets, with people rising up around the country.

They demanded an end to one-party rule and appealed for press freedom and democracy. But within two weeks — 100,000 Russian soldiers and thousands of tanks rolled into tow, devastating democratic hopes for another 35 years. Hungary was forced to remain a satellite state of the then Moscow-led Soviet Union until communism was toppled in 1989, after which the state collapsed in the early 1990s.

Kövér called the 1956 Hungarian revolution “a message to the bureaucrats in Brussels” that Hungary wouldn’t give up its sovereignty on issues ranging from opposing the war in Ukraine to traditional family values.

“Today’s young people can say ‘war is not peace.’ They can say that “the father is male and the mother is female.’ They can say that Hungary belongs to the Hungarians and Europe to the Europeans. And they can also say: ‘God, bless the Hungarians!’” he said.

LEADING BUREAUCRATS

“If today’s leading bureaucrats in Brussels are unable to understand this message, they will soon have to deal with hundreds of millions of deceived European citizens who will carry the European Union to its grave,” he argued.

Elsewhere in Budapest, Orbán’s primary political opponent, Péter Magyar, said it was “symbolic that the government that calls itself national has abandoned the flame of the revolution.”

He spoke while standing at the Flame of Revolution monument on Nagy Imre Square, named after the prime minister who led the revolution and was later executed by the Soviet-backed communists.

At 19:56 local time, Magyar lit the flame at the monument ahead of Wednesday’s massive protest of his Tisza party. Opinion polls suggest he is the biggest challenge to Orbán, who has ruled Hungary since 2010.

Magyar claims Orbán has turned Hungary “into one of Europe’s poorest and most corrupt nations,” with some 3 million people living below the poverty line.

Orbán says his government is improving the economy after inheriting decades of Communist and Socialist mismanagement.

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

More Worthy News

US Would Help Defend Saudi Arabia Against Iranian Attack, Report
US Would Help Defend Saudi Arabia Against Iranian Attack, Report
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

The United States recently quietly indicated to Saudi Arabia that it would help to defend the Kingdom against an attack by Iran or its proxies, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News.

Lebanon Politician Openly Condemns Hezbollah
Lebanon Politician Openly Condemns Hezbollah
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

With Israel pounding Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, there were signs of growing discontent Monday about the Iran-backed group as a key official said it would bring disaster over the nation.

Trump ‘Reviving Christian Faith’ In White House
Trump ‘Reviving Christian Faith’ In White House
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Former U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to bring Christian faith back into the White House if he wins the elections next week.

Iran Supreme Leader Seeks World Coalition Against Israel
Iran Supreme Leader Seeks World Coalition Against Israel
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has urged the world to stand up against Israel in a military coalition “if necessary” after the Jewish nation struck army sites in Iran on Saturday, killing at least four military personnel.

Dozens Killed In Sudan Mosque Attack; Christians Concerned (Worthy News In-Depth)
Dozens Killed In Sudan Mosque Attack; Christians Concerned (Worthy News In-Depth)
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Christian rights investigators confirmed Monday that Sudan’s military struck a mosque in the country’s east-central Gezira State, killing up to 31 people, after churches were also attacked.

Pakistan: Christian Mother Granted Rare Bail in Blasphemy Case
Pakistan: Christian Mother Granted Rare Bail in Blasphemy Case
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

In a rare move for a Pakistani court, a trial judge in Punjab Province, Pakistan, last month granted bail to a Christian mother falsely accused of blasphemy, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.

China Rapidly Expands and Modernizes Its Nuclear Arsenal at Unprecedented Pace
China Rapidly Expands and Modernizes Its Nuclear Arsenal at Unprecedented Pace
Monday, October 28, 2024

China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal at an unprecedented pace, according to a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report. The report warns that growing capabilities could boost Chinese leaders’ confidence and increase the risk of dangerous mistakes—raising the potential for escalation in the coming years.