Fraternity-Testvériség, 1962 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1962-01-01 / 1. szám
FRATERNITY 3 demands for sweeping reforms, freedom of expression, free elections and the withdrawal of Soviet troops were re-echoed by the masses. About five thousand students, joined after dusk by thousands of workers and others, marched to the Stalin monument. The “Manchester Guardian” gave the following account of the events at the site of the monument: “Ropes were wound round the statue’s neck, and to cheers, the crowd attempted to topple the statue. Rut it would not budge. They finally managed to melt Stalin’s knees by using welding torches. When the body of the statue broke apart and his legs crushed on the ground, the crowd started shouting: Russians go home . . . Russians go home! Then with hammers and pipes the crowd broke the monument into countless pieces.” A group demonstration turned into a mass revolt. The political police — the strong-arm of the regime — went into action again. Shooting from the roofs of buildings they killed and wounded scores of demonstrators. But the masses kept on shouting their demands. Zoltán Zelk, a prominent Communist poet and once mucii favored by the regime, on October 31, eight days after the up rising in a Budapest radio broadcast told that he, together with two other Communist poets, shocked by the acts of the police, called on András Hegedűs, Prime Minister of the regime, and begged him to stop the senseless slaughter. “But Prime Minister Hegedűs declared that the revolt will be quelled by arms and should the regime not be strong enough, it would call Soviet troops” — said Zelk, and added the following remark: “He said this smilingly when the calling in of the Soviet troops was already a fait accompli.” Leslie B. Bain, a correspondent of “Reporter” magazine, gave the following account of further developments: “It was 4 a. m. on October 24 when the first Soviet tanks and armored cars arrived in the city. Overnight another series of events had occurred. Workers in the suburbs had held meetings and had drawn up demands generally in line with those of the students. At dawn the workers began marching into the city. Only about fifteen hundred of them were armed. All the rest had nothing but their bare hands and flags. No one was in command. Whoever spoke the loudest or made the most sense was obeyed. Impromptu committees and delegations were formed
