[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 128 (Tuesday, November 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN HONOR OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 14, 2006

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 50th 
anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the valiant 
contribution of the Hungarian people to those efforts. A true 
expression of democracy, public dissidence, and the spirit of the voice 
of the people, the nationwide revolt stands today, a half a century 
later, as a strong, albeit bitter reminder of both the oppression of 
the former Soviet Union and more importantly the strength and resolve 
of the Hungarian people in their desire for freedom.
  On October 23, 1956, brave students demanding their intellectual 
freedoms stormed the Radio Building in the Budapest Parliament. 
Immediately, they were suppressed when the Soviet State Security Police 
began firing upon these unarmed civilians. News of the attack spread 
quickly and led to a public uproar in Budapest, where outraged citizens 
organized immediately to take up arms and defend their natural rights 
of justice, liberty, and sovereignty. At the forefront of the 12-day 
struggle for control of the capital and the rest of the country was 
Gen. Pal Maleter. As the leader of the infantry in Budapest, he 
courageously went against his orders and, upon meeting with the 
insurgents, lent his support to their fight for freedom. With the 
strategic support of Maleter, the outlook of the revolutionary freedom 
fighters was optimistic. A cease-fire was reached between revolutionary 
and Soviet forces, and provisional government councils were set up to 
usher in the new era of peaceful democracy.
  The Soviet forces, however, under pressure from the international 
community to assert its control by uprooting any possible seed of 
democracy, moved quickly to crush the movement through deadly means. 
They violated the cease fire by opening fire on crowds of civilians and 
bombarding the city with artillery tanks. What started as a peaceful 
democratic independence movement ended in bloodshed with the murder of 
thousands of civilians through an illegitimate surprise invasion. On 
November 3, during more cease-fire negotiations, the Soviet military 
kidnapped Pal Maleter and the Hungarian delegation, charged them with 
treason and promptly ordered their execution. With the leadership of 
the revolution arrested, the Soviet military simply invaded again, and 
took over the city.
  The hope for independence, self-rule, and democracy is one that can 
never be extinguished in any society. The Hungarian people, in the 
democratic spirit, banded together to fight like many before them for 
the basic human right of peaceful self-governance. They did not fail. 
Today, we see Hungary as a regional success story for democracy, the 
free market, and civil society. This eventual, if delayed, victory 
shows us though the road to democracy is not always an easy one, the 
spirit of people will ultimately prevail in the inexorable march toward 
democracy.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the values of 
freedom, independence, and democracy that the Hungarian people demanded 
50 years ago. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 stands as a reminder of 
the undying desire of any society to be free from forces of hegemony.

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