1988. július (161-183. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russeil Street • London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126) 172/1988 (E) I6t.h .Tuly, 1988 ________________ Protest Against Karoly Grósz’s Statement The American magaziné Newsweek published an interview with Karoly Grósz the Hungárián Prime Minister and General Secretary of the Party, before his oversea tiip. In it he stated that there was a counter-revolution in 1956 and that it was right to bring Imre Nagy to justice. He said that the demonstration on June l6th was dispersed by police because the protesters incited chauvinism, irredentism and fascist propaganda and attacked the police. Four participants in the Hungárián Democratic Hovement - Géza Buda, Péter Grawátsch, Tamás Molnár and Tibor Philipp - signed a protest against Grósz’s statement and an open letter to the public. In the protest they report on the June l6th events and accuse Grosz of slander. "Commemorations and demonstrations were held in Budapest, the participants demanded historical jurisdiction in regard to the revolution and a proper burial fór its victims who are still lying in unmarked graves today. The police were brutal to the protesters, they beat them up indiscrim- inately young, old, women and mén and sprayed tear gas intő their eyes. Is it necessary to explain police brutality to the reporter? What could be simpler; Defenceless people attacked police armed to the teeth with bare hands. Yes, let us call them fascists, chauvinists, irredentists and the necessity fór the police to defend themselves will become clear. What unscrupulous cynicism!" The open letter emphasises that the way out of the serious crisis, which is a result of a more than 30 year policy, is only possible through democratic transformation and an honorable, patient and responsible leadership. This interview does nőt give us much hope. "Can we expect honour from such a leader, one who casts aspersions on commemorations and memories? Can patience be expected from a leadership which subordinates everything to its selfish party political interests? Can we expect responsibility from a power which falsifies the present and the pást in such a shameful way? It is nőt only in our interest that the country is led by those fór whom democracy is acted upon, freedom is the inalienable right of the people, tolerance of dissent is oblig- atory, the enforcement of rights is a virtue and fór whom the word of the nation is the main law, bút in the West's too. We cannot accept less1.", finishes the open letter. The organisers of the June l6th commemoration asked the editors óf Newsweek to publish their protest. The most offensive phrases in the interview only appeared in the European issues of the magaziné, they were omitted from the American edition. The Hungárián press - on July 12th - only published a summarized version of the Grósz interview bút the sentences which caused such protests were published in two papers. M i > p? i N | 9 Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in dctail as long as the source is acknowledged.
