Articles by: György Lázár

Lavish 1956 Anniversary Gala in Washington DC

Boycott, no-show at US events commemorating the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

On October 23 about 300 of us were eagerly waiting for Willie Brown at the Green Room of the San Francisco War Memorial Center. The elegant hall has a gorgeous wraparound balcony with a magnificent view of San Francisco City Hall. The bar was packed with California wines, tasty hors d’oeuvres and we were all dressed up to hear Willie, […]

by · November 4, 2016 · Diaspora
We don’t have Halloween in Hungary, we have All Saints Day

The politics of Halloween in Hungary

We don’t have Halloween in Hungary, we have All Saints Day! – states the poster. Halloween is not a desirable holiday for conservative Christian Hungary. In Hungary “Mindenszentek” (All Saints’ Day) and “Halottak Napja” (All Souls’ Day) have always been important Catholic holidays. Quite recently, in 2000, All Saints’ Day even became a National Holiday. Right wing political parties, especially […]

by · October 31, 2016 · Culture
Namaste - Amb. Colleen Bell and the Budapest Lad statue

Lads of Pest – or exploited child soldiers?

I was surprised. Actually, I was dismayed to see US Ambassador to Hungary Colleen Bell delivering remarks at the statue unveiling of the Budapest Lad when on Sunday October 16, the sculpture was inaugurated to commemorate the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The unveiling took place in Scott’s Circle at 1500 Rhode Island Ave, NW, Washington DC on the grounds of the […]

by · October 29, 2016 · Culture
Elvis Presley and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

Elvis Presley and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

Elvis Presley’s final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was on January 6, 1957. CBS censors would not allow his entire body to be shown on live TV, he was seen only from the waist up. 22 years-old Elvis sang seven songs in three segments. Most memorable was his rendition of Peace in the Valley, the famous gospel song as […]

by · October 23, 2016 · Culture
Tom Hanks, with the Budapest Chain Bridge in the background, featured on a pro-government propaganda poster.

Oh, no! Tom Hanks is promoting Orbán’s xenophobe message?

Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks is in Budapest for the shooting of his new movie “Inferno”, a sequel to the blockbuster “The Da Vinci Code.” He loves Budapest and says Mexican food is fabulous in the Hungarian capital. I know his favorite Mexican restaurant, but I cannot tell you. Hanks values his privacy and I swore to the owner that I […]

by · October 21, 2016 · Culture
Miklós Horthy

Whatever happened to the 13-year-old boy Miklós Horthy “adopted” in 1956?

In 1956 about 200,000 Hungarian refugees fled to the West–among them 20,000 “unaccompanied minors,” mostly teenagers. These kids travelled alone; many of them came from state orphanages. A great number were apprentices who participated in the fights and also peasant and poor children from the countryside. Lajos Kiss was 13 years old when he escaped from an orphanage at Dorog, […]

by · October 19, 2016 · Culture
Willie Brown will speak at the 60th anniversary commemoration of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution in San Francisco

Willie Brown is the keynote speaker at the 1956 Hungarian Revolution Commemoration in San Francisco

What a surprise! The San Francisco War Memorial Center will host the 60th anniversary commemoration of the 1956 Revolution. On October 23 the keynote speaker will be Willie Brown, the former Speaker of the California State Assembly who was the 41st mayor of San Francisco. The 82-year-old Democrat is a dynamic speaker and overall fantastic guy. I once met Brown […]

by · October 16, 2016 · Culture
Ambassador Bogyay (in the middle) assured American Jewish Committee (AJC) members that Hungary is committed to the fight against anti-Semitism.

UN Ambassador Katalin Bogyay to bamboozle New York Synagogue audience

Katalin Bogyay is the Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations and on Saturday, October 15, the 60-year-old diplomat will be a special guest at a New York synagogue. Sutton Place Synagogue has invited Ms. Bogyay to their Sabbath service to give a talk entitled – Revival of Hungarian Jewish Culture & the Fight Against Anti-Semitism. No doubt Ms. […]

by · October 12, 2016 · Antisemitism
Simulated terrorist attack in a Budapest metro station.

Strongman Orbán’s latest publicity stunt: a midnight terror exercise

I start to think that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his inner circle have lost touch with reality. Police forces conduct anti-terror training exercises in other EU countries, but it is unprecedented that a night-time police drill is staged as a propaganda tool for a sitting Prime Minister. A couple of days ago Mr. Orbán invited journalists and politicians to […]

by · October 9, 2016 · Politics
Pál Maléter

Pál Maléter – Anti-fascist World War II partisan and hero of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

This year we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight. Pál Maléter was one of the most important actors in the events. He was unusual, complex and his intentions were often misunderstood by the revolutionaries. Some might even say that Maléter became the “accidental martyr” who is rarely written about in English. About 600 Hungarian […]

by · October 5, 2016 · Focus