On 23 October, activists from ALDE Party member Momentum Mozgalom in Hungary protested Viktor Orbán’s relationship with Russia to mark the 67th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution.
In 1956, Hungarians attempted a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic, linked to the Soviet Union. Thousands of civilians were killed, wounded and fled the country after the uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks and troops.
Orban shook hands with Putin just a few days before October 23— the day our nation commemorates the revolution of 1956. He shook hands with a war criminal, whose regime calls our freedom fight a ‘fascist uprising.’
— Katalin Cseh (@katka_cseh) October 23, 2023
Unforgivable shame.
A protest outside his office by @momentumhu pic.twitter.com/0MV4Mm1PME
Momentum members gathered to throw red paint in front of Orbán’s office at the Carmelite Monastery of Buda in Budapest, Hungary, days after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a post on Facebook, Momentum highlighted how Orbán “betrayed” the heroes of 1956.
“We at Momentum are fighting for a fair system in which our nation’s freedom struggles cannot be lied to. For a system that pursues humane politics and leaves no one down,” Momentum said.
“The spirit of '56 is sadly more alive today in Kyiv than in Budapest. Viktor Orbán kowtowing to dictators like Putin and Xi Jinping, undermining Ukraine and Nato, and drifting ever farther from the west is a disgrace to the memory of Hungarian freedom fighters, and counter to all they fought, bled and died for,” ALDE Party Vice-President Dániel Berg told The Guardian.
🇭🇺Honoring the #HungarianRevolution of 1956 at the statue of Imre Nagy in Budapest. On this historic ground, we honor the brave souls who fought for freedom and democracy. Let's honor the heroes who stood up against oppression and celebrate their unwavering spirit!🕊️🔥 pic.twitter.com/dSsMpBr99W
— Anna Júlia Donáth (@donath_anna) October 23, 2023