The Hungarian Student, 1961

REPLY TO THE PRAVDA

pen, the engineer and worker, the peasant and student, the Prime Minister himself, all who rose in revolt, we fought for, and desired, just this.

When this specific demand was adopted by the new government and new party leadership, a great burden was lifted off our shoulders, we experienced a great relief. With this, the sun of peace and freedom, although red and bathed in blood, broke through the heavy somber clouds.

And now, allow us to make one more comment on the sorry Pravda article. For days and days, this tragic, murderous, genocide war has ravaged and raged, and now, we believe it is coming to an end. Those who, clinging to their power, yet trembling for their lifes, gave the order to fire on the defenceless

masses, in front of the Parliament, and thus started the fight, those men must be, and will be punished. Those criminals who escaped from prison and were caught in the revolutionary wave, they too, must be punished. There will be retribution, it is true, but of quite a different nature to the “liquidation” of which the Pravda wrote. Nobody could and to day, nobody wants to "liquidate" the heroic struggle of the Hungarian people, even if at great cost this fight bore its fruits. It bore the victory of the great ideal of freedom. Only through this freedom for this blood soaked country, will come peace, a new creative life, a fine bloodless struggle for what is good, and the end of strife.

(Article by Miklós Molnár, in the

Szabad Nep, October 29th, 1956).

TESTIMONY ON BEHALF OF THE REBELS

In its last edition, the Pravda published an editorial with regard to the events in Hungary. The article is entitled: “The collapse of an adventure directed against the Hungarian people”. This is quite erroneous. The events in Budapest were neither an “adventure” nor “against the people” and did not “collapse”. For five days, bombs have exploded, numerous machine-guns have fired, for five days the unfortunate city has bled and still, still true patriotism and democratic ideals have burned on in spite of numerous deaths. The strongest slogans have been heard for socialist democracy, and not for "reaction” or “counter revolution", the people rebelling in Pest and Buda wanted freedom, freedom of the people with neither oppression nor terror, a life without fear, more bread and national independence. Is this an adventure against the people? Something indeed did collapse, and it could have been said to be against the people, but that was the Rakosi-Gerö clique.

The article goes on to state that the uprising of the people of Pest was sparked off by the American and English imperialist underground. We can say without hesitation that this statement profoundly offended and insulted the one million and a half inhabitants of Budapest. The overwhelming majority of the people of Budapest were present either in person or in spirit at the Tuesday demonstration. Throughout that day these people were in full agreement with the basic patriotic and democratic goals of the great popular movement. Our five day long struggle, bloody and tragic, but exalting, was not started underground but rather it was born alas, by our own sins, and first of all, the sin of not protecting and keeping alight that great flame left in our custody by our ancestors, our precious national independence.

In 1848, the young freedom fighters of our Ides of March asked: “What is the desire of the Hungarian Nation ?”— “We desire independence for our nation” was the first reply, the first of the twelve demands of the Petőfi group. Let us, finally, put our cards on the table. Today, all over again, the number one national demand is the freedom and independence of Hungary. It is on this basis that Hungary wants to live in peace and friendship with her neighbours and the Soviet Union. It is for this that we fought, this is what we want, we, the writers whose weapons is the

Our subject here may seem to be insignificant but anyone who did not witness the behaviour of the rebels must be informed further. One hears a lot of talking about “pilfering” and “stealing". We must firmly establish that such behaviour is the exception rather than the rule. When one passes along the Bajcsi- Zsilinszky street, one needs only to look at the broken shop windows, at the gaping holes in the walls to see the bovious accessibility of the goods. The window is broken, any item can be reached merely by extending the hand, and yet for days they were untouched. Are there people who would love to take them ? Certainly, after all, there never was a revolution without a few opportunists taking advantage of the confusion. This time, however, the delinquents are in a difficult position, because the true revolutionary, the young rebels, hold them in check.

A roll of material hung through a shop window and someone was about to lift it. Three students came up to him. One of them laid a hand on his shoulder and said quietly: “Leave it, that is not what we fought for. We dont want anyone else's property, you must not have it either, we dont allow it.”

A notice lay on untouched goods in other shops: "Hungarians do not steal". Such statements must strike home those who would think of accusing the rebels of theft. We cannot really talk about theft as a general rule, even though it happened occasionally, while we are able to witness scenes as described below:

There is a shoe shop opposite the Hirado Cinema. A group of people sheltered from flying bullets under one of the doorways. Someone who thought it a good opportunity, got into the shop with a broom and called the people. Sure enough the people came over, but with the intention of beating him up. Although furious, the thief was dragged away from the shop by the indignant, honest crowd.

Here is another incident: One day, there was a great rush for food in the market of Hold Street. Soon after the market opened, a small group of young men appeared and began a control of the queuing. The distribution of food immediately became orderly. These young men quietly explained that they belonged to the insurgents and that they considered it extremely important that the people keep the discipline and respect the property of the country. Everybody looked at them with great affection and respect.

( Report on the Szabad Nep,

October 29th, 1956).

National independence, sovereignty, self-determination, equality and non intervention have exactly the same meaning in any relationship between countries whether based on capitalist, socialist or other transitory systems.

(From the editorial of “Magyar Szabadság”, November ly/, 1956y.

10