Remembering the Victims of Communism in Hungary Today
Officials in Hungary commemorated the memorial day for the victims of communism on Sunday at a ceremony held at the House of Terror Museum in Budapest. Interior ministry state secretary Bence Retvari spoke at the event, highlighting the violence that was a fundamental aspect of communism.
He mentioned that the red fog first descended on the country in 1919, claiming over 500 lives. During the second communist dictatorship, 700,000-800,000 people were taken to Gulag camps, with 300,000 never returning. Retvari also paid tribute to the 1,200 people who were executed and the 200,000 who fled the country in 1956.
The state secretary emphasized the use of violence by communists and criticized far-left Antifa groups for assaulting passers-by in Budapest last year. He stressed the need to reject far-left ideas and remember the victims of communism to ingrain history in Central European DNA and warn Western Europeans.
Director of the House of Terror Museum, Mária Schmidt, highlighted the importance of passing on knowledge about communist dictatorships to younger generations. She noted the challenges in doing so, as some may have an interest in hiding the truth. The memorial day serves as a reminder of the tragedy of communist dictatorships.
Head of the National Remembrance Committee, Réka Földváry Kiss, emphasized that the memorial day is not just about individual tragedies but also about the potential consequences of communist rule. A wreath was laid at the Monument of National Martyrs by various officials to honor the victims.
Since 2000, February 25 has been observed as a memorial day of martyrs of communism in Hungary, commemorating the illegal detention and deportation of leader Béla Kovács in 1947. The event serves as a reminder of the atrocities committed under communist rule and the importance of rejecting extremist ideologies.
