Controversies
The local government of Budapest 12th district erected the Turul statue in 2005 without a permit in memory of the victims of World War II, sparking a long-running controversy. The monument included the names of several perpetrators alongside those of the victims. The symbolism of the monument has also sparked heated controversies, as the mythological Turul bird – though undoubtedly an important Hungarian national symbol – was used as the emblem of the Arrow Cross Party, and thus cannot be separated from the Arrow Cross’s mass murders.
Many are calling for the statue’s removal, while the far-right scene defends it as a symbol of national pride. There were proposals to reclassify it as a World War I memorial, but this did not materialize; however, the names were removed from the monument. The Turul statue therefore remains standing, and a new World War II memorial was unveiled nearby in 2022.
The Turul and the Árpád-striped flag are the symbols of the perpetrators, not of the victims.”
Zoltán Gábor
writer