The Hungarian Student, 1957 (1. évfolyam, 2-8. szám)
1957 / 7. szám
8 The Hungarian Student A Student Diary O ctober 23, Tuesday. Many students went downtown to the offices and to the industrial sections to inform the workers about the 16 points, and to ask their help to carry them to victory. By 2 p.m., many factories had reported their intention of joining the planned demonstration. In the meantime students of the other universities met for the afternoon demonstration. Just before we formed our lines, the Ministry of Interior banned the demonstration. The leadership of the newly-formed MEFESZ sent student delegations to the Ministry of Interior and to the Politburo of the party. In their petitions the students demanded the right to demonstrate, and declared that they would not leave the universities until the permission was issued. Finally, at 3 p.m., the permission arrived, and we silently marched to the Bem statue. [General Bem, who was Polish, was one of the leaders of the Fight for Freedom in 1848-49 against Russian-Austrian colonialism.] More than 12,000 students were present from the University of Technology alone. As a result of this morning’s activity, ten thousand workers, young and old people, came to the square. The capital seethed. At 5 p.m. we finished our planned “We are greatly shocked to learn of the heinous assault of the AVH by which they attempted to sully the reputation and name of the National Ambulance Service. The car looking exactly like an ambulance, which transported ammunition to the AVH bandits who fired at the peacefullydemonstrating youth in front of the Radio building, was not the property of the National Ambulance Service. We have known for years that the AVH has in its possession motorcars which are the exact copies of ambulances, to be used for their questionable purposes. For years the drivers and workers of the National Ambulance Service have objected to this program. Then it was decided that we would go to the Parliament to submit our proposals and resolutions to the government. About 300,000 people crossed the Margaret Bridge. As we arrived in Pest, [the other side of the Danube] somebody shouted, “Let’s tear down the Stalin statue, the symbol of our slavery!” At this call a considerable number of people went to where the statue stood. At about 7:30 p.m., accompanied by cheering and applause, the statue of Stalin fell down. In the meantime hundred of thousands of people—students, workers, women and children—sang our national anthem with tears in their eyes: “Bless the Magyars oh Lord....” The people wanted Imre Nagy to come to deliver an address. The 16 Furthermore, on the first day of the National Revolt, the henchmen of the AVH stole two of our ambulances. Nothing proves the devoted role the NAS plays more than its loss in action of Odon Ronafalvi, ambulance doctor, and Sándor Kecskés, orderly, and that one member of its staff was critically wounded and three members injured. All of them were killed or wounded by AVH bandits who fired at the ambulances while our members were heroically fulfilling their duty. We will measure up to our dead heroes, to our revolutionary youth, and we will protect our country against all internal or external enepoints included his takeover of the government and the Party. Someone came to the balcony and said that Imre Nagy would arrive in half an hour. But the hated red star was still lighted on the tower of Parliament. Everybody shouted his wish: “Down with the red star!” In order to disperse the crowd, the lights were shut off in the square. Immediately torches were made from the special edition of the communist newspaper Szabad Nep. Finally, at about 7 o’clock, the light of the red star was turned off. After 3 hours Imre Nagy arrived, and appeared on the balcony at 8:30. The delay had made the people impatient, and Imre Nagy’s calming speech was ineffective. Just as he finished his speech, a truck arrived from the radio station, saying that the secret police had opened fire on a group of unarmed students, who wanted to broadcast their 16 points. At first we thought these people might be provocateurs, and nobody moved. At this time it was hard to believe that the AVO would kill unarmed students.... But we had to believe it when another truck came from the radio station carrying the body of a 15-year old girl. . .. When we arrived at the radio station, the narrow street was already covered with bodies, and machineguns spit death from the windows. We stood there without any weapons. Finally the workers of the largest industrial district, Csepel, arrived on trucks with weapons. They could obtain them, because many war-industrial factories were in their area. And so it happened that by midnight thousands of students, workers and soldiers fought against the most hated of men, the secret police, and their helpers, the Soviet army. ...” practice in vain. The guilty leadership of those days took no steps. | mies. Proclamation: Revolutionary Workers’ Council, National Ambulance Service Hungarian Parliament surrounded by Soviet tanks.
