Orban: Poles and Hungarians are joined by 'brotherhood of blood'

Orban unveiled a plaque commemorating the Poles who helped Hungarians during the country’s violent revolution in 1956.

He praised the humanitarian aid which Poland sent Hungary at the time. The shipments included blood for the wounded.

“Thanks to Poles, including the residents of Kraków, the blood of Poland and Hungary mingled. Therefore after 1956, Hungarians looked to Poles not only as friends, but brothers, with whom they are joined by a brotherhood of blood,” Orban said.

The Hungarian Revolution began as a demonstration in the capital Budapest on 23 October, 1956, with demands of civic liberties, the withdrawal of Soviet troops and nomination of Imre Nagy to Prime Minister.

The protest developed into a national uprising that was bloodily crushed by Soviet intervention. Around 2,500 people died in the fighting, hundreds were executed and thousands imprisoned in the aftermath. Some 200,000 were forced to flee Hungary.

High-level meetings

During a two-day visit to Poland, Orban met Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło on Thursday as well as the head of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jarosław Kaczyński, on Friday.

Orban (L) and Kaczyński met in Kraków. Photo: PAP/Jacek Bednarczyk

The two politicians laid flowers at the tomb of former Polish president Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria who are buried in the Wawel castle in Kraków. The first couple died along with 94 others in a plane crash in Smolensk, western Russia, in 2010.

(rg)