On June 19, 2021, it will be exactly thirty years since the Soviet troops left Hungary, and from that day on we became a truly independent country, after we dealt with the communist dictatorship between 1989-1990 and created a sovereign state, democracy, multi-party system, and market economy .
On this anniversary, I would like to propose to the Hungarian public and decision-makers - as the founder and spokesperson of the CÖF, with the support of the CÖF - that thirty years after this very important date in our history, this day should be a national holiday as well as a public holiday .
June 19, or from the point of view of actual commemoration, the last Saturday of June is currently the Hungarian Independence Day, a national day of remembrance, not a public holiday. I am convinced that the national memorial day is an important designation of this day, but it is by no means sufficient. There are several national days of remembrance, but the importance of June 19 can be measured with two shining days of our history, March 15 and October 23, as national holidays, because in both cases we remember the struggle for national independence and freedom, and June can be included in this list . It's also the 19th. Moreover, with the difference that neither Austrian, Russian, nor Soviet forces took our freedom away from us after June 19, compared to our two defeated freedom fighters, and we can enjoy the fruits of it to this day.
In other words, June 19 can be a national holiday, which is now a symbol of our independence and freedom, which was not only temporarily won, but also permanently acquired, which lives on to this day. …
... there are three important arguments in favor of finally treating June 19 and its symbolism in accordance with its historical significance.
First of all, I am convinced that this outstanding day has not received enough attention in the last thirty years , and one of the main reasons for this is that in the years of the regime change, there was no clear separation from the previous dictatorial regime, there was no historical justice and lustration, with us post-communism remained, which also cast a shadow on June 19, 1991.
On the other hand, the remaining party-state networks of the time, together with the cosmopolitan liberals of the SZDSZ, were not interested in a worthy celebration of June 19, but rather in the premature overthrow of the first conservative government...
...Let's remember: in the years after 1991, Gábor Demszky and the capital he led fell into the "hands" of celebrating this day every year, and we remember well: from June 19, the former mayor made a kind of "sausage-picnic" day, all kinds of elevation without, smearing the significance and symbolic message of the day. It is no coincidence that after this the entire country almost forgot this day, as having no significance whatsoever...
...Secondly, it is very important to separate June 16 and June 19, as currently two commemorative days. On June 16, 1989, the reburial of Imre Nagy and his fellow martyrs took place on Hősök Ter, while on June 19, 1991, Lieutenant General Silov left the border at Záhony, and with that the communist occupying Soviet armies withdrew from Hungary. In my opinion, the two days are not equal, in fact, only June 19 is worthy of becoming a national holiday...
….what does June 19, 1991 symbolize? The realization of the two most important wishes of Hungarian history: regaining national independence and sovereignty and freedom from the communist dictatorship. Compared to June 16, this was a moment without negotiation or compromise: this moment was created as a result of the negotiations between the democratically elected Hungarian government and the Soviet government, but these negotiations were consistent and goal-oriented, there was no other consideration than the departure of the Soviet troops , its other economic conditions were questionable , but the goal was clear...
...Finally, thirdly, the message and symbolism of June 19 could hardly be more relevant, as our national independence and freedom are under attack again. June 19th truly connects our past struggles with our present challenges; this day reminds us again and again that the idea of empire is always resurfacing in new and different forms in Europe and the world, so we must be constantly awake and sane in order to recognize in due time the aspirations that threaten our sovereignty and to respond to them in a necessary and proportionate way .
It is clear that the current imperial aspirations of the 21st century are, for the first time in history, directed by global forces, which seek to create an unprecedented universal world empire. It is also clearly visible that, as part of this, the intention to create a kind of super-federal, supranational system from the European Union appears. Both the former and the latter directly affect us, especially because our desire for independence and freedom in Iran, which goes back thousands of years, is a sight for the globalist elite, the "big boys", who, together with Poland, see us as a kind of recalcitrant, rebellious people. We already know this role well, we have chewed on this bone a thousand times, so we are not surprised, nor does it come as a surprise to us, but the size and scale of the current challenge is truly human-testing, on a scale never seen before.
And that is exactly why June 19 would be an important symbol as a national holiday. This day is a continuation of 1848 and 1956, and after thirty years of freedom, it also sends a message to the present: we cannot back down and we cannot give in today either.
Tamás Fricz's article can be read in more detail here.
