March 15 ceremony in Szeged features mayor’s speech on freedom, government policy
SZEGED, Hungary — Szeged Mayor László Botka used the city’s March 15 national holiday ceremony to call for stronger democratic values in Hungary and criticize what he described as the government’s support for Russia, while highlighting ongoing local development projects and social programs.
Speaking at the main commemoration on Klauzál Square, Botka said the “freedom-loving people of Szeged cannot take as a model a Russia that has occupied Hungary three times,” referring to Russian and Soviet interventions in 1849, 1945, and 1956.
“Because of our historical experience, it is unacceptable that the government now sides with the aggressor, Putin’s Russia,” the mayor said during his address marking the anniversary of Hungary’s 1848 revolution.
Botka also said Hungary today still lacks the ideals of “equality, freedom, and fraternity” demanded by the revolutionaries of 1848, but added that “it is up to us to correct that.”
The ceremony began with wreath-laying at the statues of poet Sándor Petőfi and Count Lajos Batthyány on Dóm Square. Participants later gathered on Széchenyi Square, where the national flag was raised at City Hall as the crowd sang the national anthem.
Led by the Ferenc Fricsay Municipal Concert Wind Orchestra, attendees then marched to Klauzál Square, where the main commemorative program was held in front of the statue of revolutionary leader Lajos Kossuth.
Botka said Szeged historically played a key role in the 1848–49 revolution, raising four battalions of national guards and forming 27 companies of citizen militia. “Szeged remains a bastion of freedom today — the capital of the Tisza,” he said.
In his speech, the mayor also outlined the city’s priorities, including investment in infrastructure, green spaces, and social assistance. He said the municipality signed an 18-billion-forint development agreement with the European Union last year and plans projects including the renovation of the downtown bridge, improvements to the riverfront embankment, and new bicycle infrastructure.
Despite what he described as declining government funding for municipalities, Botka said Szeged’s budget remains stable, and the city continues to expand social support programs. This year, the city will provide 2.42 billion forints in financial assistance to about 7,000 families in need.
The mayor also noted that Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer BYD plans to start production at its new Szeged factory in 2026, which he said could benefit the local economy and other companies in the region.
The ceremony also featured a literary program performed by actors of the Szeged National Theater, poetry recitations including works by Petőfi, and folk dance performances by the Szeged Dance Ensemble. The event concluded with a joint choir performance of revolutionary-era folk songs and a wreath-laying by city officials, institutions, and civic organizations.
Hungary marks March 15 as a national holiday commemorating the start of the 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule, one of the defining events in the country’s modern history.
Photos: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
