For Hungary and other Central and Eastern European countries, the day carries particular significance because of the successive experiences of Nazi and communist dictatorship during the 20th century.

The ceremony in Hungary was held at Budapest's Fiumei Road Cemetery, where Zsolt Sári, State Secretary for Public Collections and Heritage Protection, and Csaba Attila Bakos, chair of the National Assembly’s Committee on Defence and Law Enforcement, paid their respects.

Sari highlighted Slachta’s opposition to tyranny and injustice, noting that she was Hungary’s first woman member of parliament.

He also stressed the importance of confronting intolerance before it develops into persecution, saying the government has a “zero tolerance” policy towards violence or verbal aggression against communities, minorities and other groups.

“Dictatorships start with words, not barbed wire,” Sari said.

The date of Black Ribbon Day was chosen because August 23, 1939, saw the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Its secret protocol divided parts of Eastern Europe into spheres of influence and was followed shortly afterwards by the outbreak of the Second World War.

Margit Slachta (1884–1974) is an especially relevant figure for the commemoration. A member of parliament and founder of the Sisters of Social Service, she opposed both Nazi persecution and later communist repression. During the Second World War, she and members of her religious community helped Jews facing deportation and persecution.

Slachta was recognised by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations for her efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust.

The Budapest commemoration therefore combined remembrance of victims of dictatorship with a focus on the responsibility to challenge discrimination, hatred and political violence before they escalate.

Photo: Hungarian National Film Fund's website

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