Titles were presented to authors Andras Lanyi and Gyorgy Spiro, actor and director Pal Macsai, historian Noemi Saly, folk singer Marta Sebestyen, and film director Bela Tarr.

Posthumous awardees are actor and director Andor Lukats and the architect and one-time MP and government official Tamas Wachsler.

At the ceremony held in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), Karacsony noted that in London the equivalent award is named Freeman of the city, adding that Budapest "defiantly clings to its freedom, and expresses its gratitude and pays tribute to its free men with its highest award".

The mayor said the city's unification did not simply refer to the coming together of Obuda, Buda and Pest, followed by the other twenty-three settlements. It was also about "connecting people, cultures, beliefs, hopes and opportunities."

The Pro Urbe Budapest and For Budapest awards, as well as honorary citizen titles, recognised those who forged those connections, he said.

Karacsony noted that the MTA is celebrating its bicentennial this year, adding that the academy had always enjoyed ties to Budapest owing to shared times and experiences, as well as a responsibility "that transcends its own borders".

The mayor spoke of "respect for science and scientists" and the importance of maintaining a "critical perspective" rooted in facts and a tradition of intellectual freedom and openness in an age when "technology fetishism and political populism" rubbed up against those who fought for knowledge and the autonomy of science.

He said the world and Hungary was confronting pressing questions to which people sought reassuring, simple answers, but, he added, "there are no simple answers to complex questions".

The willingness of certain politicians to give pat answers to difficult issues, he said, eroded trust, the bedrock of coexistence, thereby degrading institutions and the conditions necessary for democracy, while opening the door to arbitrariness.

Karacsony said he wanted to City Assembly to approve Budapest joining MTA'S science-friendly settlements initiative.

"Today we celebrate independent citizens and institutions proud of their self-determination ... for the community's benefit," he said. "Let this day be a celebration of autonomy..."

Tamas Freund, the MTA's president, said he had turned to Karacsony with a request that the capital join the academy's movement. Over time, city leaders had done much to ensure that Budapest could be recognised as a "supporter and friend" of both Hungarian science and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he said.
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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