Thursday 1 June saw the first public meeting of the Hungarian group of the IMT, Fáklya (Torch) at the Gólya Co-operative Centre in Budapest with 30 in attendance. This is an important breakthrough for the forces of Marxism in Hungary, the first of many to come.
Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick from the International spoke on the crisis of capitalism, the political situation in different countries, revolutionary movements around the world, the war in Ukraine, and above all the tasks of the Marxists today. The talk was followed by a lively discussion on a wide range of topics.
The event was also attended by a number of international visitors, including a comrade from the German section of the IMT, who spoke on the situation in Germany, and a Hungarian comrade from Belgium.
We were also joined by comrade JG, who was a member of the organisation in Britain for many years before moving back to Hungary. After the event, she said:
“Yesterday I had a lovely time at an IMT meeting, an experience I don't have too often nowadays. Fáklya, the Hungarian Marxist group of lovely young people, affiliated to the IMT, held a meeting on the crisis of capitalism in the world, and how to fight for a better one. Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick, of the International bureau of the IMT, gave us a comprehensive analysis of the state of the world today, on how to fight back. There was a short, but lively discussion after the lead off, followed by the traditional visit to the bar for a pint or two. I was told that my contribution was inspirational, but honestly, the real inspiration was the young people that surrounded me and the enthusiasm they showed for changing the world.”
Many of those in attendance expressed an interest in joining us / Image: Fáklya
During the social, many of those in attendance expressed an interest in joining us, supporting us with monthly donations, or attending the reading groups.
The day before the public event we held an internal school for those who are members or interested in joining the IMT with 15 present. Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick spoke about the history of the IMT and drew out general lessons that can help us build a Marxist organisation in Hungary today.
The work of building the organisation started about a year ago and we have grown very quickly in this short amount of time. These couple of days have enthused us all and we are excited to carry on the work of building the organisation. Our next target is to release the first issue of our newspaper by September.
If you are interested in helping to build the forces of Marxism in Hungary today then get in touch with us below or contact us on social media!