23rd October has come again. It is an interesting time of the year, commemorating the uprising of Hungarians against the brutal regime imposed by the Soviet Union. This time of the year also presents all Hungarian blogs, news portals, NGOs and organizations with the problem of finding something original to say about 1956, year after year. This year we thought the best course of action would be to simply take an early start, and grab the bull by the horns, as it were, and write a short pre-23rd October post.
As a grassroots group working with refugees and migrants, the obvious thing for us to do would of course be to invoke, once again, the harsh, emotional stories of the 1956 refugees. Let’s see how this would go. We would start out by reminding Hungarians how the rest of the world opened their arms for the refugees, as this video shows. Naturally, the seemingly inexhaustible army of skeptics would then reproach us by saying that Hungarian refugees were “different”. So different, in fact, that any comparison between them and the refugees and asylum seekers of today is plainly impossible (Hungarians, after all, were seen as white Christians). But we would nevertheless point out the similarities, trying to instill in their petrified hearts and minds a feeling of moral obligation.
How predictable.
So, this year, we would like to ask Hungarians to remember another side of 1956. Instead of focussing on how the glorious nation of Hungarians became victims, this year we would like to remember how Hungarians stood up against a regime they considered unjust. We would like to use this 23rd October to remembering how ordinary people flooded the streets, and found the necessary courage and energy deep down inside their hearts to criticize those in power.
These are, of course, among the many reasons that have forced many the members of our group to escape their homes and come to Hungary.
But guess what? Escaping injustice, persecution, war and poverty doesn’t mean stop demanding justice, the right to a dignified life, peace and freedom from exploitation. Therefore we expect to meet you on October 23rd at the Tedd Magad Szabaddá-demonstration organized by Humán Platform in Blaha Lujza ter. Look for the big MIGSZOL banner and come say hi to us!
PS. Apologies for the somewhat unorthodox picture, but we felt it is fitting after yesterday's news regarding introduction of internet tax in Hungary.
As a grassroots group working with refugees and migrants, the obvious thing for us to do would of course be to invoke, once again, the harsh, emotional stories of the 1956 refugees. Let’s see how this would go. We would start out by reminding Hungarians how the rest of the world opened their arms for the refugees, as this video shows. Naturally, the seemingly inexhaustible army of skeptics would then reproach us by saying that Hungarian refugees were “different”. So different, in fact, that any comparison between them and the refugees and asylum seekers of today is plainly impossible (Hungarians, after all, were seen as white Christians). But we would nevertheless point out the similarities, trying to instill in their petrified hearts and minds a feeling of moral obligation.
How predictable.
So, this year, we would like to ask Hungarians to remember another side of 1956. Instead of focussing on how the glorious nation of Hungarians became victims, this year we would like to remember how Hungarians stood up against a regime they considered unjust. We would like to use this 23rd October to remembering how ordinary people flooded the streets, and found the necessary courage and energy deep down inside their hearts to criticize those in power.
These are, of course, among the many reasons that have forced many the members of our group to escape their homes and come to Hungary.
But guess what? Escaping injustice, persecution, war and poverty doesn’t mean stop demanding justice, the right to a dignified life, peace and freedom from exploitation. Therefore we expect to meet you on October 23rd at the Tedd Magad Szabaddá-demonstration organized by Humán Platform in Blaha Lujza ter. Look for the big MIGSZOL banner and come say hi to us!
PS. Apologies for the somewhat unorthodox picture, but we felt it is fitting after yesterday's news regarding introduction of internet tax in Hungary.
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