Paying Tribute to the Heroes of 1956 at NATO SHAPE

After singing the Hungarian national anthem together, Lieutenant Colonel Péter Rózsa praised the spirit of 1956. He emphasized that the revolution’s outbreak was a rare moment of national unity, when social differences disappeared and only one word became common: freedom. He added that the message of October 1956 is not stuck in the past, nor was the flame of revolution extinguished on 4 November, when foreign tanks were treading on hope. “That flame still lives on in the heart of each Hungarian who believes in truth, bravery and that freedom is not merely a word, but a moral obligation”, he concluded.

In what followed, Major General Dr. László Sticz, Hungary’s National Military Representative to NATO SHAPE, greeted the commemorating audience. He underlined in his speech that, when they stood up for their cause, freedom fighters were aware of risking their existence, physical safety, or even their lives. “However, patriotism and the common goal to change Hungary’s fate for the better by their actions worked more strongly in them than fear”, said Major General László Sticz, who called exemplary the actions of the 1956 freedom fighters and the values they were fighting for. “On 23 October, the heroes of 1956 are commemorated in many countries around the world, just like we do far from Hungary from a geopolitical point of view, but the closer in our hearts and thoughts”, the major general concluded his speech, giving thanks to the Hungarian community of Mons for joining the ceremony.

At the end of the event, participants watched a short film about the heroes of 1956, made with the contribution of the MoD Military History Institute and Museum and commissioned by the MoD National Defence Education, Cultural and Science Management Department.