Hungarian and European leaders commemorate 70th anniversary of 1956 uprising

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar paid tribute to victims of the country's 1956 anti-Soviet revolution in Budapest on Thursday, 70 years after the uprising began. Euronews and Inbox.lv reported that Magyar attended a flag-raising ceremony outside parliament on Lajos Kossuth Square before laying flowers at memorials and graves. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also joined the commemorations and spoke to Hungarian lawmakers. [1][5]

According to Euronews and Inbox.lv, Magyar laid flowers at the grave of Imre Nagy, the former prime minister who was executed following the revolution. Von der Leyen emphasized the importance of freedom and democracy during her address in Hungary. [1][5]

The revolution began on 23 October 1956 and lasted 15 days before Soviet troops and tanks crushed the revolt. Euronews reported that up to 3,000 revolutionaries were killed in the fighting. Nearly a quarter of a million Hungarians fled the country after the Red Army intervened. [1][7]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, top European Union officials including European Council President António Costa were invited to Budapest for the state ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary. [10][11]