One of the most important and dramatic dates in Hungarian and European history is 15 March 1848. The dashing poet Sandor Petofi recited the stirring ‘Nemzeti dal’ (‘National song’). A group of revolutionaries seized a printing press and published the Twelve Points. Their demands included a Hungarian parliament, freedom of the press, civic and religious equality before the law, jury trials and freedom for political prisoners. A huge crowd gathered on the steps of the National Museum in Budapest and the revolution was soon in full swing. After months of war with their Austrian overlords, Hungary declared independence from the Habsburgs. But by summer 1849 free Hungary was crushed, after Russia invaded. Austria executed 13 generals and Lajos Batthyany, the prime minister. The dream of independence was over. But the courage of the revolutionaries is still remembered with pride.
Currently, Hungary is preparing for an election on 12 April. The country is deeply divided between support for the incumbent prime minister Viktor Orban and the youthful challenger Peter Magyar. But still it is united in its determination to commemorate its history and struggles for independence. Budapest is bedecked in the national flag, which is being flown from apartment buildings as well as official sites. Hungarians of all ages pin the cockade, the tricolour of red, white and green to their jackets and lapels, proudly commemorating the 1848 revolutionaries. The contrast with Britain, a country whose elites seem determined to dismantle its history, is ever more sharp. For many, the Union flag and the St George’s Cross are now seen as beyond the pale, symbols of division rather the national unity they actually represent. In many inner-city areas, the Palestinian flag has replaced the national one.
Hungarian banknotes are proudly adorned with pictures of historic figures including the great kings Matyas Corvinus and St. Istvan as well as the 18th century revolutionary leader Prince Ferenc Rakoczi. Meanwhile, the Bank of England has announced that British historic figures featuring on banknotes will be replaced by wildlife. Winston Churchill, without whom there would likely be a Reichsbank issuing Reichsmarks, is to replaced by a picture of an animal. Even Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats leader, was outraged, declaring that ‘Winston Churchill helped defeat fascism in Europe. He deserves better than being replaced by a badger.’
A few days ago, I was invited by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium to Kecskemet, a pretty Hungarian city 60 miles south of Budapest, to talk about migration and its effect on Britain. I had a pleasant stroll around the town’s main square, admiring the Art Nouveau architecture. The atmosphere was calm, even serene, but something nagged at me. Then I realised what it was. There was something missing. Several things, in fact. There were no garish vape shops. No cash-only Turkish or Albanian barbers, empty of punters. There were no demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and blood libel imagery, screaming about Gaza or harassing supporters of Israel. No masked-up youths on mopeds grabbing mobile telephones from passers-by. No stink of skunk wafting through the fresh spring breeze.
Instead, the main square was home to smitten teenagers cooing at each other on park benches and elderly locals having a stroll in the spring sunshine. Home to local people, who took pride both in their hometown and its architectural heritage and in their country. In short, something like Britain once had. Something which is now not just lost, but being intentionally wiped from our collective memories – not just our banknotes.
Sandor Petofi disappeared in 1849, but his clarion call for freedom and the revolutionaries’ 12 demands still echo through the decades.
On your feet, Magyar, the homeland calls!
The time is here, now or never!
Shall we be slaves or free?
That is the question, choose your answer!
In Britain, Justice Secretary David Lammy is preparing to abolish jury trials. Forthcoming legislation will privilege Muslims and almost certainly be weaponised to silence criticism of Islam. The state imports illegal immigrants, feeds, clothes and houses them. A two-tier justice system for decades allowed Pakistani rape gangs to abuse young white girls with impunity. The state tolerates the increasing Islamification of public space. All this is watched with growing incredulity, not just in the United States, which has been vocal in its criticism of Starmer’s clampdown on our freedoms, but also in countries like Hungary. Across central Europe, especially during communism, Britain was seen as a beacon of freedom, democracy and human rights. Its descent seems both mystifying and unstoppable.
Shall we be slaves or free? And who and where is our Sandor Petofi?
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