1988. október (246-270. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
| « H&í W SAEUkMNI ,1 I ©m£ Editor! György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London. WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126) 261/1988 (E) 22nd October, 1988 Protest on tbe Anniversary of the Revolutlon is Gancelled by Organisers At the beginning of the ueek five independent democratic organisations issued an announcement calling fór a "silent march" on the morning of October 23rd to commem- orate the 1956 Hungárián revolution. Members of the Young Democrats Alliance and the Network fór Free Initiatives were asked to raeet at 9 am on Gellert Square, of the Bajcsy-Z^ilinszky Friendship Society and the Hungárián Democratic Fórum at 10 am on Clark Adam Square and of the Historical Jurisdiction Committee at 10.4-5 am on Batthyány Square. According to the announcement they would all meet up en route to the Bem statue, the same route taken by young people from the Technical University 32 years ago. The announcement asked participants to pin on national rosettes and to bring a single flower bút nőt to bring banners. The aim of the action, according to the announcement, was to "remember and to make others remember with a quiet dignified march". The five organisers wished to lay a wreath on the Bem statue and after the Hymn had been sung the participants would lie their flowers beside the wreath. On Tuesday the organisers asked the police fór permission to hold the march. On Thurs- day the Budapest Police Headquarters held discussions with two spokespeople from the YDA and one from the Fórum, they tried to persuade them nőt to hold the protest. The discussions broke down and on Friday, yesterday, Hungárián Rádió announced in the evening that Police Headquarters had forbade all actions on October 23rd, marches or meetings. The organisers still tried to find a peaceful solution. They sent a telegramme to Károly Grósz the Prime Minister and General Secretary of the Party in which they said "We submit our compromise proposals to a person who will take a political rather than a police decision". They asked him to enable discussions by 2 pm today bút this did nőt happen. The organisers were phoned by a police colonel soon after 2 pm who said that the police decision would stand. However in the afternoon, due to the intercession of the Hungárián Press Agency, discussions re-opened with György Fejti the secretary of the Party’s Central Committee. It appears that the government wanted to avoid an incident while the American Society of Travel Agents met in Budapest as many American business people and journalists are in Hungary to cover the meeting and it seemed that the two sidés would come to an agreement. According to the compromise proposals the independent organisations and groupings would lay wreaths on General Bem’s statue as a symbolic gesture rather than protest. Bút Hungárián Television in its 8 pm broadcast did nőt read out the compromise bút a declaration by the Hungárián Democratic Fórum in which the police bán is condemned bút the protest is cancelled. A special agreement was made between the Hungárián Democratic Fórum.and the Under-Sec- retary of State Imre Pozsgay. Initially the other groupings involved did nőt enter it despite attempts by Fórum representatives to persuade them, at first they even issued a bittér statement blaming the government fór this state of affairs. Later how- ever they decided to renounce the plán to march so as to avoid ugly incidents. M Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in detail as long as the source is acknowledged. i
