Monument

A photograph of one the most beautiful squares in Budapest, Liberty Square. An area that includes a statue to Ronald Reagan and a Soviet monument, the Hungarian national bank, the US embassy and many art nouveau buildings, Liberty Square is currently the scene of a bitter dispute concerning a controversial statue the government has chosen to erect over the coming weeks. The prime minister Viktor Orban had promised to hold consultations with Jewish groups after the election.... but suddenly, two days after a comprehensive victory, workers moved in to start the project. Critics of the idea contest that by erecting this statue the government is denying Hungarian involvement in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews in 1944-5. The design for the statue shows a German eagle attacking a symbol representing Hungary. Each evening the protestors come and tear down the covers and scaffolding you see here, behind which the builders work during the day. The signs at the site make clear not to trespass but the protestors persist. Their numbers, however, seem to be dwindling, if this evening's gathering was anything to go by. And all the while the police record proceedings. The foreign media occasionally turns up but to little effect and with the Ukraine in turmoil Hungary has suddenly assumed a greater importance in the political scheme of things. Many people who are in favour of such a monument also believe in the idea of a greater Hungary. There are large numbers of Hungarian-speaking people living outside of Hungary, including in the Ukraine and Romania, a fact bitterly resented by nearly all Hungarian nationals.What is perhaps most unsettling and significant about this sorry episode is the growing silence throughout the country..... the fear to speak. It will be interesting to follow the visit of the German Bundespresident to Budapest on June 16th.