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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Following World War II, the Soviet Union occupied
3 Hungary and forced an anti-democratic and brutal government
4 upon the people of Hungary; and
5 WHEREAS, On October 23, 1956, over 100,000 ordinary
6 citizens became "Freedom Fighters" and revolted against their
7 Soviet communist government in what started as a peaceful
8 protest but turned violent when protestors were fired upon by
9 security police, triggering a bloody fight for freedom; and
10 WHEREAS, The Soviet Union launched a military
11 counter-offense to suppress the revolt, but not before
12 thousands gave their lives for freedom; more than 200,000
13 Hungarians fled their country in the aftermath of the Soviet
14 suppression of the Hungarian Uprising, and over 47,000 of
15 these people eventually settled in the United States; and
16 WHEREAS, On October 23, 1989, the Republic of Hungary
17 declared its independence, which contributed to the collapse
18 of the Soviet Union and communism in Eastern Europe;
19 Hungarians led the first revolt against communist occupiers
20 and inspired other captive nations to defend their freedom;
21 and
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1 WHEREAS, On March 12, 1999, Hungary became a member of
2 NATO, and on May 1, 2004, Hungary become a member of the
3 European Union; as a former Warsaw Pact nation, Hungary has
4 proven itself as a reliable military ally in support against
5 the global war on terrorism and as a provider of humanitarian
6 aid in the pandemic fight against COVID-19; and
7 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is proud to be called home
8 by a large number of Hungarians, Hungarian Americans, and
9 their descendants, who have contributed greatly to the
10 economic development, multicultural diversity, and enrichment
11 of all aspects of life in the State; therefore, be it
12 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13 HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14 we recognize the 66th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution
15 and the sacrifices of the brave Hungarian freedom fighters and
16 the great contributions of Hungarian-Americans in Illinois,
17 and we reaffirm the friendship between the people and
18 government of Illinois and the country of Hungary; and be it
19 further
20 RESOLVED, That we declare October 23, 2023 as "Hungarian
21 Freedom Fighters Day" and declare October 2023 as "Hungarian
22 Freedom Month" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to Stephen Szigethy.
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