Due to a poem by the Hungarian revolutionary poet Sandor Petofi (1823-1849) that could be misinterpreted, the principal of a Budapest primary school has banned school celebrations of the National Day on March 15. It is specifically said to be about the poem “Hang the Princes”, in which Petofi called for the overthrow of the feudal system of the time.
The celebration at the Jozsef Budenz School in Budapest was due to take place twice due to the limited number of seats in the ballroom. But school principal Jozsef Csenki pulled the string after the first appointment, news portal “444.hu” reported Wednesday night.
“Everyone will think of Orban”
At Petofi’s chorus “Smash the thrones, hang the princes!” “Everyone would think of (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban,” the director is said to have said, according to earwitnesses. “If word gets out, the school will be screwed.”
Students protested indignantly
Orban has been the target of criticism for his authoritarian and corrupt style of government. The European Union is currently withholding substantial financial resources from Hungary to force Orbán to restore the rule of law. Headmaster Csenki indirectly confirmed the (self) censorship to “444.hu”. The celebration contained “misleading allusions to current politics and statements about current political issues,” he said. The students involved were outraged. They protested and started a signature campaign, the portal said.
On March 15, Hungary celebrates the outbreak of the revolution against Austrian Habsburg rule in 1848, to which Petofi made an important contribution with his fiery poems and appeals. The poet, now widely revered as a national poet, fell in 1849 as a volunteer soldier fighting against Russian intervention troops who had rushed to aid the Habsburgs.
Source: Krone
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