Magyar Rubs Salt into Our 1956 Wound by Inviting Ursula von der Leyen to the 70th Anniversary

To mark the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, Hungary will commemorate our historic struggle for freedom on October 23. Fort those who see the attendance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as an insult and provocation during an anniversary remembering those who fought for Hungary’s sovereignty, it will come as somewhat of a relief to learn that French President Emmanuel Macron has turned down the invitation to attend.

As Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson for the European Commission, announced on Monday that Ursula von der Leyen is expected in the Hungarian capital on Friday. The trip to Budapest will mark the conclusion of the diplomatic week.

Official confirmation from Brussels has so far been limited to von der Leyen’s participation in the commemorative events and her speech.

The Commission has not yet confirmed whether bilateral talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar or other government representatives will take place on the sidelines of the celebrations.

For von der Leyen, the trip marks her first visit to Budapest since the government led by Péter Magyar took office.

Most recently, the Commission President visited the Hungarian capital in November 2024, during Hungary’s EU Council Presidency at the time, to attend the summit of the European Political Community.

On May 29, the two met in Brussels for negotiations that included the release of frozen EU funds and reforms related to the rule of law.

The Hungarian government plans to commemorate the 1956 uprising as a major international event. Between 100 and 150 top European politicians and international representatives were invited. An official letter was sent to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—even though the Hungarian prime minister himself expressed doubts about Zelenskyy’s attendance.

One prominent guest will definitely be absent on October 23: French President Emmanuel Macron.

Although Péter Magyar had mentioned Macron’s participation in an interview last week, the French Embassy in Budapest confirmed in response to an inquiry from Telex that the president would not be traveling there. The French side had never officially confirmed a visit.

This year’s commemorations will be held in an exceptionally tense atmosphere not seen since the end of the fall of the Iron Curtain. A deeply divided society will hold its commemorative events in groups that run alongside party political allegiances and irreconcilable visions for Hungary’s future. While TISZA politicians speak about the first “free” 1956 anniversary after a decade and an a half, others accuse the Magyar government of being the moral heir of those, who have been instrumental in defeating our fight for democracy and national sovereignty, and of those who have been responsible for the brutal repression that followed.

Via Telex, MTI; Featured photo: Róbert Hegedüs/MTI

The post Magyar Rubs Salt into Our 1956 Wound by Inviting Ursula von der Leyen to the 70th Anniversary appeared first on Hungary Today.