HUNGARIAN SPRING WITH THE WAFT OF THE WHITE AND RED FLAGS
MARGITA KOTAS
Several thousands of Poles, the representatives of rightist associations, walked through the streets of Budapest on 15 March 2012. The participation in the celebrations of the greatest National Feast in Hungary was also a manifestation of supporting the policy of the Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The great trip to Hungary was organised by the clubs of ‘Polish Newspaper’ in the cooperation with the association Social Movement of President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński and the Association the Solidarity 2010. Despite the appeal of the ‘wise’ people to return, 700 people arrived in the capital of Hungary by the same special train, the other participants of the events in Budapest arrived by coaches, buses and private cars.
Uprising of Petofi
15 March is a day commemorating the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution in the years 1848 – 49. That day Sandor Petofi, the leader of the generation of young poets and romantic writers, together with his co-operators, walked through Peszt, while reading the so-called 12 points to the inhabitants (manifest, which demanded equal rights, freedom of religion, abolition of press censorship, the union of Hungary with Transylvania, freeing political prisoners and creating Hungarian National Guard) and they were reciting their poem ‘Nemzeti dal’ (National Song) on the stairs of the National Museum. These events are considered as a symbolic beginning of the Hungarian Uprising, which was ended with a failure of troops commanded, among the others, by Jozef Bem (participants of the great trip deposited wreaths at his monument on 16 March) at Temesvar and signing the capitulation in Vilagos on 13 August by Artur Gorgey - the main commander of the uprising armies.
On the steps of Museum
The common celebration of the Hungarians and Poles symbolically started on the stairs of the National Museum. The speech was directed to the participants by the mayor of Budapest Istvan Tarlos. Next, Tomasz Sakiewicz, the chief editor of the ‘Polish Newspaper’, spoke on behalf of Poles: ‘If in our or your history there is something especially valuable, it is just the love of freedom’. Many generations were fighting and dying for the sake of freedom in Hungary and it was the same in Poland. Your heroes resemble the heroes of Poland very much’. He emphasized that it is impossible to separate the history of Poland from the history of Hungary. ‘Hungarian rulers sat on the Polish throne, and Polish rulers sat on the Hungarian throne (...) Poles and the Hungarians took up attempts together to defend Christian Europe against the captivity from the imperial Turkey (...). Our countries fell victims to powerful invaders among which the Habsburg monarchy was. So, no wonder that the Hungarian Spring of Nations was supported by thousands of Polish soldiers with gen. Józef Bem. In the hope for freedom of Hungary we noticed also possibilities of regaining freedom by Poland’ – said Sakiewicz. Next, Tomasz Sakiewicz emphasized that the arrival in Hungary is a support for big changes, which Hungary has taken up in the recent years. ‘Our time is coming – time of free nations which want to be with each other because they have such a need and not because somebody told them to. It is our spring – spring of peace and freedom. Let this sparkle go to other countries’ – he addressed the Hungarians and Poles participating in the celebrations.
Eljen Orban Viktor!
The commander of the Hungarian Fidesz party (Association of Young Democrats), Viktor Orban, since 25 May 2010, for the second time, holding the post of the prime minister of Hungary, has been strongly fighting for the future of his country. So, he had to find opponents in the form of the leftist European environments. Attacks on his person and policy of Hungary and , at the same time, on Christian values which Orban made a fundament for development and the future of his country, became somehow a pretext for organising the great trip of Poles to Hungary. ‘We want to express our solidarity with everybody who wants to build their country and whole Europe on the basis of Christian fundaments’ – explained Tomasz Sakiewicz on pages of ‘Polish Newspaper Everyday’ of 14 March. ‘Eljen a lengyel-magyar baratsag es testveri szolidaritas!’ Let friendship and brotherly Polish and Hungarian solidarity live!’ – proclaimed one of the banners carried in the march. ‘Eljen Orban Viktor!’ – Let Orban Viktor live – other banners proclaimed. ‘Viktor Orban’ – Poles were chanting during the march. Raising their thumbs slightly less formally and symbolically they added: ‘Orban is great!’ and they congratulated the Hungarians on their prime minister. On the whole way of the march from the Castle Hill to the Kossuth Square in front of the Hungarian Parliament, the Budapest residents were applauding Poles who were marching just behind hussars and thanked for received support and Poles’ presence on the Day of their Feast. During his speech in front of the Parliament the Prime Minister Viktor Orban addressed special words of welcoming to the Poles. He emphasized Polish solidarity in them during a fight for the most important matters and the most significant values, reminding the maxim which has been directing us for centuries. ‘For the sake of your and our freedom’ – Orban shouted in Polish, raising the wave of Polish and Hungarian flags. Budapest residents were astonished by both the number of Polish participants in the celebrations and also the number of Polish banners and flags. Although on that day the great attachment of the Hungarians to their flag, tradition and national symbols was seen all the time, there were moments when the white and red flag seemed to dominate over the Hungarian tri-colour flag.
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"Niedziela" 13/2012