MEP Brands Ursula von der Leyen’s 1956 Anniversary Attendance a Visit by a “Colonizer”

The Our Homeland Movement MEP called Ursula von der Leyen (L) a “colonizer”

Member of the European Parliament for the Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazánk Mozgalom), Zsuzsanna Borvendég has called Péter Magyar’s decision to invite the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, “shame” and “humiliation”. 

When asked about Péter Magyar’s decision to invite the Commission President to the 70th anniversary celebrations of the 1956 uprising during an interview, the Hungarian politician called it “absolutely staggering, unacceptable, and outrageous—after all, we are talking about a national holiday. Even looking at it from that perspective alone, there is simply no place for this; we do not need foreign politicians—politicians from outside our nation—to deliver speeches on our national holiday”, said Ms. Borvendég.

She continued by saying that “the Hungarian people—the Hungarian nation—rose up against an imperial occupation. It is therefore unacceptable that the current Hungarian rump regime would invite a representative of a different imperial power, a different colonial master. For that is all she truly is—let that be clear.

They are inviting a colonial master to deliver a commemorative speech on the anniversary of our fight for freedom—the 70th anniversary—thereby humiliating not only the dignity of the national holiday but the entire Hungarian nation.”

“Incidentally, it is also an immense disgrace what happened on the 50th anniversary—as we know, Ferenc Gyurcsány (former socialist PM, ed. note) ruined that occasion. And now, the 70th anniversary—even compared to that—is an absolute scandal. It is truly an all-time low”, warned the Our Homeland MEP.

“It is, therefore, unacceptable and outrageous. One could analyze at length what 1956 was truly about, …demonstrating that the Hungarian nation had no desire for the West, either. It was not merely a resistance against Soviet occupation and communist oppression; there was also a rejection of the West—though, in truth, the West did not exactly offer itself either. In 1956, the West abandoned the Hungarian nation. It had encouraged and led the Hungarians to believe that help was on the way—that the American military and NATO would arrive. Yet, it provided no assistance whatsoever; it left the Hungarian nation to its fate.

And now, Ursula von der Leyen arrives as a representative of an empire that, back in 1956, effectively stood by while the Hungarian nation was left to drown in its own blood,”

Zsuzsanna Borvendég said.

In her opinion, Von der Leyen’s visit “threatens to completely obscure the narrative of ’56—a narrative that is crucial to emphasize—in which the Hungarian nation essentially declared: “No, thank you—I want no part of any ‘isms.’ I am Hungarian, and a Hungarian is neither right-wing nor left-wing; simply national and Hungarian. At that time, Hungary proclaimed neutrality; it did not wish to join NATO or any other imperial alliance system, but rather sought to pursue a neutral and independent path. With the arrival of Ursula von der Leyen, this particular narrative of ’56 is effectively set to be completely buried, closed her words Zsuzsanna Borvendég.

Apart from the president, many high-level European politicians will attend the commemorations, almost all of them from the liberal, euro-federalist spectrum. Among them is

• the President of the European Council, António Costa (Socialist Party).
• Maia Sandu, the ultra-liberal President of the Republic of Moldova (Party of Action and Solidarity)
• Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut (unaffiliated).
• Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Norwegian Labour Party), currently serves as Minister of Finance.
• The President of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil (Civic Democratic Party).
• Federal Minister of Transport Steffen Bilger (CDU), Peter Tschentscher (SPD), the Mayor of Hamburg.
• Austria’s Christine Schwarz-Fuchs (ÖVP), and former Chancellor, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP)
• Estonia’s liberal politician Liisa Pakosta (Estonia 200), Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs.
• Ireland’s Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European Affairs (Fianna Fáil  – Renew Europe, ALDE).
• Vincent Van Peteghem (Christian Democratic and Flemish, EPP), Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium,
• Zoran Stevanović, among the few right-wingers, from the Slovenian Resnica.

Photo: Facebook Péter Magyar

The post MEP Brands Ursula von der Leyen’s 1956 Anniversary Attendance a Visit by a “Colonizer” appeared first on Hungary Today.