On Sunday 23 October 2016, exactly 60 years after the Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight broke out in Hungary, as a protest against communist dictatorship and Soviet occupation, a national commemoration service was organised in The Hague. Hungarians and friends of Hungary from all parts of the Netherlands gathered in the Kloosterkerk.
The commemoration started with an oecumenical church service, led by father Péter Mustó SJ and reverend Márta Tüski. The organ was played by Barnabás Hegyi.
The commemoration service commenced after a lunch and was led by Ákos Urbán, President of the Hungarian Federation in the Netherlands. The Hungarian resistance flag, which was presented to Queen Juliana in 1956 by Hungarian refugees, was brought in by scouts and was put next to the stage. The flag is currently kept in the Royal Archives of the Netherlands. For more information about the flag, please click here.
After the Hungarian and Dutch anthems were sang, the Ambassador of Hungary Mr András Kocsis came to the stage. His speech was followed by that of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Bert Koenders, State Secretary for Hungarian Communities Abroad Mr Árpád János Potápi and by Dzsingisz Gábor, former State Secretary of Agriculture of the Netherlands, a 1956 refugee and president of ‘Vluchtelingen Organisaties Nederland’.
The program was completed by Hungarian music performances by Valentina Tóth (piano), Éva Szalai (piano), Katalin Kovács and Gábor Bálint (singing), The Hungarian Choir of Amsterdam under the direction of Orsolya Burján and the Hungarian Choir and Orchestra lead by Barnabás Hegyi. Zsuzsa Hoeks-Györky read out the poem by Sándor Márai entitled ‘Angel from heaven’. At the end of the commemoration service, the flag was carried out by scouts.
The program was concluded by a reception, offered by the Hungarian Federation and Embassy of Hungary.
