Congratulations to the people of Hungary. It is a new 1989 and an opportunity to move the history of your magnificent country in a future of hope and renewal. Well done.
Imagine I am giving you a standing ovation right now, with tears streaming down my face and the strangers around me wondering if I'm okay because they have no idea why. I'm proud for you, alongside you and your beloved Country. I'm grateful for your presence across the web and for the opportunity to find your words because I required them to show me a reason to live. Thank you. 🙏🏻🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺
Dosa Peter (apologies for lack of letter accents!) Thank you for this powerful flood of joy, reflection and celebration! Thank you also for your nuanced grounded comments on live this morning— so important to remember the work of restoring and building democracy is a long long arduous process. And the political actors in the public stage all carry legacies. But for now— Expression from the HK 2019 movement - Add Oil!
We need to also talk (live) about the powerful dragon in the room. As a Hong Konger, 1989 was also an historic moment— millions of Chinese went out to Tiananmen Square and around the country to demand democratic reforms. The bloody crackdown on unarmed students and civilians, on the people by the People’s Liberation Army was televised lived. Untold thousands were killed. Within months, the international community was back to business as usual.
But Hong Kongers remembered, gathered to resist imposed historical amnesia by Beijing, every year, for decades until 2020, when the iron fist, descended on Hong Kong, sucking the air out of a once vibrant society. And yet. Many in exile remember.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I really feel your words.
As someone who left Hungary as a child, memory is not abstract to me. It is personal. It is what you carry when a place is no longer fully yours, but never stops belonging to you either.
That is why what you wrote about Hong Kong, Tiananmen, exile, and forced forgetting moved me so much. I recognise that pain: the fear that a country can be taken from its own people, and then the story of that loss can be rewritten on top of them.
And yes — Add Oil. For Hungary, for Hong Kong, and for everyone still refusing to let memory be erased.
Also in my earlier message I forgot to reply. My head is still in all places at the same time after these last few days of this surreal feeling. But we should definitely sit down and have a chat about this! I’d really love that Sharon.
Yes! A live chat —between/across generations, countries and cultures! No rush. The road is long. Take a well deserved rest moment to be present for yourself and your partner!
You have outdone yourself with your eloquence! I am so moved by this heartfelt outpouring of emotion, wisdom and just plain goodness. I commented on a previous post but I’ll say it again. I had dear friends today for Sunday brunch and we kept checking on news from Hungary. The it happened: Orban conceded and we all yelled. I’m surprised you didn’t hear us. Then to celebrate we did a Victory Walk with my dog in the rain. So these three Canadians send sincere congratulations to you and all your fellow Hungarians who have today been released from purgatory. Onward. 🇭🇺🎉🙏🇨🇦❤️❤️❤️
I had been anxiously following your reports on the results all day, Péter and when I read that Orbán had conceded, I was immediately taken back to the two occasions in the past where I felt a similar mix of euphoria and almost disbelief. The first was as a young adult, seeing the collapse of communism in 1989; the second was the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in my own country of Ireland in 1998 – both of them events we had longed for but hardly dared imagine would come. Thank you and all your fellow Hungarians for reminding us, just when the world needs it most, that ordinary individuals do matter and can make a difference…
Thank you for this beautiful piece! I want to say that a lot of us feel your emotions, but we probably will really feel it when we take our country back from MAGA.
Beautifully written Peter! The result in Hungary has given me new hope about democracy. The people of your country showed that electorates can see through blatant lies and propaganda. It will hopefully mean the news media can be truly free to report with objectivity instead of much of it being used as a propaganda tool for Orban. It will take time because so much of the media is controlled by owners who support Orban — you’ll know much more than me about that. The lack of press freedom was what prompted me to write a substack piece a year ago asking whether it was time to throw Hungary out of the EU —- something which would have been extremely difficult to do. But that is no longer needed as Magyar will not spend time and energy trying to undermine EU decisions or following a pro-Kremlin agenda. And it’s not just a blow to Putin — but also to Trump. The US administration claimed it wasn’t trying to interfere with the election in Hungary….yet JD Vance turned up last Tuesday to, er, try to interfere with the election in Hungary. It failed, because - as you said - the people of Hungary have had enough.
Fantastic news. Amazing that Orban went so easily in the end. Now you can come home, at least for a visit. Get in touch if you do. I live in Budapest...
Thank you to the people of Hungary for providing an example of how to overthrow authoritarianism. Now that democracy is on the way to being restored in Budapest, it's time for the people of the US to do the same.
Adding a shout-out to Mr Magyar. I explained to a friend today (who knew nothing about the election) that Magyar must have used up 100 pairs of shoes over the past 2 years as he criss-crossed the nation. Walking week by week, town by town, with small rallies growing into larger ones. Yes, Magyar had a strong online presence, but he had something that Orban did not: a personal presence, a personal connection to the people. Orban, with his security detail and cadre of sycophants gave him a buffer against the people. Or to hide from them.
Now the work to revive Hungary begins. May God bless Mr Magyar and the Hungarian people.
I hope you are getting a very good sleep. I know when you wake up, first thing you will think of..is this triumphant won..that’s all Hungarians managed to pull off, you will think in disbelief and joy and pain. But you all did it!
Congratulations to the people of Hungary. It is a new 1989 and an opportunity to move the history of your magnificent country in a future of hope and renewal. Well done.
Imagine I am giving you a standing ovation right now, with tears streaming down my face and the strangers around me wondering if I'm okay because they have no idea why. I'm proud for you, alongside you and your beloved Country. I'm grateful for your presence across the web and for the opportunity to find your words because I required them to show me a reason to live. Thank you. 🙏🏻🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺
Thank you so so much Mildred, I appreciate you so much.
My grandparents came from Hungary in 1898. Hungarian revolutions in 1848, and 1956 were unfortunately lost. But this one was successful! Viva Kossuth!
🇭🇺🔥🇭🇺🔥
Dosa Peter (apologies for lack of letter accents!) Thank you for this powerful flood of joy, reflection and celebration! Thank you also for your nuanced grounded comments on live this morning— so important to remember the work of restoring and building democracy is a long long arduous process. And the political actors in the public stage all carry legacies. But for now— Expression from the HK 2019 movement - Add Oil!
We need to also talk (live) about the powerful dragon in the room. As a Hong Konger, 1989 was also an historic moment— millions of Chinese went out to Tiananmen Square and around the country to demand democratic reforms. The bloody crackdown on unarmed students and civilians, on the people by the People’s Liberation Army was televised lived. Untold thousands were killed. Within months, the international community was back to business as usual.
But Hong Kongers remembered, gathered to resist imposed historical amnesia by Beijing, every year, for decades until 2020, when the iron fist, descended on Hong Kong, sucking the air out of a once vibrant society. And yet. Many in exile remember.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I really feel your words.
As someone who left Hungary as a child, memory is not abstract to me. It is personal. It is what you carry when a place is no longer fully yours, but never stops belonging to you either.
That is why what you wrote about Hong Kong, Tiananmen, exile, and forced forgetting moved me so much. I recognise that pain: the fear that a country can be taken from its own people, and then the story of that loss can be rewritten on top of them.
And yes — Add Oil. For Hungary, for Hong Kong, and for everyone still refusing to let memory be erased.
Also in my earlier message I forgot to reply. My head is still in all places at the same time after these last few days of this surreal feeling. But we should definitely sit down and have a chat about this! I’d really love that Sharon.
Yes! A live chat —between/across generations, countries and cultures! No rush. The road is long. Take a well deserved rest moment to be present for yourself and your partner!
Beautiful writing. Heartbreaking story. Inspiring future! Thank you Hungary for lighting a torch tonight that we all can see by. ❤️
You have outdone yourself with your eloquence! I am so moved by this heartfelt outpouring of emotion, wisdom and just plain goodness. I commented on a previous post but I’ll say it again. I had dear friends today for Sunday brunch and we kept checking on news from Hungary. The it happened: Orban conceded and we all yelled. I’m surprised you didn’t hear us. Then to celebrate we did a Victory Walk with my dog in the rain. So these three Canadians send sincere congratulations to you and all your fellow Hungarians who have today been released from purgatory. Onward. 🇭🇺🎉🙏🇨🇦❤️❤️❤️
A zillion congratulations to you all !
I had been anxiously following your reports on the results all day, Péter and when I read that Orbán had conceded, I was immediately taken back to the two occasions in the past where I felt a similar mix of euphoria and almost disbelief. The first was as a young adult, seeing the collapse of communism in 1989; the second was the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in my own country of Ireland in 1998 – both of them events we had longed for but hardly dared imagine would come. Thank you and all your fellow Hungarians for reminding us, just when the world needs it most, that ordinary individuals do matter and can make a difference…
This gives me hope that America can do a similar thing in their elections at the end of 2026.
This new Hungary will be a valuable part of the European Union.
Thank you for this beautiful piece! I want to say that a lot of us feel your emotions, but we probably will really feel it when we take our country back from MAGA.
Beautifully written Peter! The result in Hungary has given me new hope about democracy. The people of your country showed that electorates can see through blatant lies and propaganda. It will hopefully mean the news media can be truly free to report with objectivity instead of much of it being used as a propaganda tool for Orban. It will take time because so much of the media is controlled by owners who support Orban — you’ll know much more than me about that. The lack of press freedom was what prompted me to write a substack piece a year ago asking whether it was time to throw Hungary out of the EU —- something which would have been extremely difficult to do. But that is no longer needed as Magyar will not spend time and energy trying to undermine EU decisions or following a pro-Kremlin agenda. And it’s not just a blow to Putin — but also to Trump. The US administration claimed it wasn’t trying to interfere with the election in Hungary….yet JD Vance turned up last Tuesday to, er, try to interfere with the election in Hungary. It failed, because - as you said - the people of Hungary have had enough.
Fantastic news. Amazing that Orban went so easily in the end. Now you can come home, at least for a visit. Get in touch if you do. I live in Budapest...
Thank you to the people of Hungary for providing an example of how to overthrow authoritarianism. Now that democracy is on the way to being restored in Budapest, it's time for the people of the US to do the same.
Adding a shout-out to Mr Magyar. I explained to a friend today (who knew nothing about the election) that Magyar must have used up 100 pairs of shoes over the past 2 years as he criss-crossed the nation. Walking week by week, town by town, with small rallies growing into larger ones. Yes, Magyar had a strong online presence, but he had something that Orban did not: a personal presence, a personal connection to the people. Orban, with his security detail and cadre of sycophants gave him a buffer against the people. Or to hide from them.
Now the work to revive Hungary begins. May God bless Mr Magyar and the Hungarian people.
Thank you for this wonderful post.
I hope you are getting a very good sleep. I know when you wake up, first thing you will think of..is this triumphant won..that’s all Hungarians managed to pull off, you will think in disbelief and joy and pain. But you all did it!
Thank you for this beautiful and inspiring essay.
Beautifully written piece of unfolding history...just remarkable.