Most of the people who are participating in the ongoing demonstrations are convinced that 50 years after the uprising against the soviets, they are starting another Hungarian revolution. This was strongly condemned by many of those who participated in the 1956 events, and also by president László Sólyom, who says that comparing the current riots to what happened five decades ago dishonours the memory of 1956.

We would love to explain the difference (and also the surprising similarities) between 1956 and 2006, but unfortunately Hungary's leading expat blog, Pestiside has beaten us. So check out their marvelous "Budapest '06 vs. '56: A Guide for Clueless Foreign Hacks".