March 15, Hungary's National Day

Due to the new coronavirus epidemic, the flag-raising ceremony in front of Parliament was the only on-the-spot event on today's national holiday, the Day of Remembrance of the Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49.

That was followed by President János Áder's ceremonial speech broadcast by the public media. In his speech, referring to the coronavirus epidemic, the President of the Republic asked the question “are we better able than ever to unite against a force that threatens our lives and freedoms, bringing pain and death among us?”

According to János Áder, the fight becomes personal when the trouble is already knocking on our door. “Are we extinguishing the fire of the epidemic with the simple decision of vaccinating ourselves, or are we remaining victims and helplessly waiting for something miraculous to happen to us? Can we act for our country, for our families, for our communities, for our neighbors, for the freedom of all of us, do we take our share of the responsibility for the defense?”