Hungary summons Russian envoy over 'degrading' uprising remarks

Budapest summoned Moscow's ambassador Tuesday after Russian state TV made what Hungary called "degrading" remarks about its 1956 uprising against Soviet communist rule. "We will make very clear that we won't tolerate anyone making degrading remarks regarding the 1956 uprising and its heroes," the foreign affairs ministry told Hungarian news agency MTI. Russian state TV had described the armed rebellion as "riots", during which "thousands of former Nazis were liberated from prison", as Hungary commemorated the revolt's 60th anniversary with a large state ceremony on Sunday. While the Russian word for riots, "pogrom", does not carry anti-Semitic overtones, the term is tainted with negative meaning in Hungary where hundreds of thousands of Jews were deported and killed by the Nazis. The public broadcaster also insinuated that the United States and western European countries had orchestrated the uprising. On October 23 1956, the armed revolt against Soviet communist rule erupted after authorities opened fire on peaceful demonstrators. After a retreat by Soviet troops signalled an apparent victory by the rebels, the occupying forces returned in early November dooming the revolt to a swift defeat. Hundreds were executed in its aftermath including Imre Nagy, a reform-minded communist leader who moved to withdraw Hungary from the Soviet bloc. In a recent survey, half of 1,600 Russians said the Soviet powers had been right to crush the Hungarian uprising.