Memorial Ceremony in Enying at the Balaton Lake
Tuesday 23 October 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Hungarian Friends,
It is an honour and a privilege for me to be here today – on this most important national holiday in Hungary commemorating the Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight in 1956. 
And even more so because we today here in the small village of Enying honour the memory of Povl Bang-Jensen, the renowned Danish and UN diplomat, who so bravely stood up and protected the Hungarian refugees who fled the country after the atrocities in October 1956. Povl Bang-Jensen was a man of strong principles and ideals – and even though he had to fight “against windmills”, including disregard orders from his highest superior, the Secretary General of the United Nations, he chose to stand by his beliefs – regardless of the price he had to pay. He paid with his life – a few years later in 1959 Mr Bang-Jensen was found dead in a park in New York shot through his head with a revolver! He thus paid the highest price one can ever pay for holding on to his conviction. 
Actually the “The Highest Price” is the title of a book written in 1998 by my good friend and former colleague in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Bo Lidegaard, who – after a number of years as chief adviser to the Danish Prime Minister – today is the chief editor of one of the largest and most influential newspapers in Danmark (“Politiken”).  
I got this book from Bo Lidegaard many years ago and thereby learned not only about the tragic circumstances leading up to the death of Povl Bang-Jensen, but also the tragic situation in Hungary at the time. At that time I never thought that I would end up exactly here in Budapest – as the Danish Ambassador to Hungary. But that’s what happened – and I am, indeed, very happy to be here. And to be able, today, to talk about this Dane who in my view stands out as a remarkable diplomat and – as we diplomats really should be – a freedom fighter. Not through lethal means, but by using our diplomatic tools to ensure freedom and stability wherever we are.  
Povl Bang-Jensen did his utmost to bring the truth to light about what happened here in Hungary – in in the United Nations at the time. He fought all attempts to compromise and demonstrated the same courage and idealism as the Hungarian freedom fighters.
Much has changed since 1956 – the brutal Soviet suppression of the freedom struggling Hungarians and the Cold War is, fortunately, now only history. But we should never forget what happened. We should continue to remember and to learn from history – and, most importantly, we should always fight to maintain the basic principles of freedom, democracy and human rights. We must never take those rights for granted, but continue to protect them where- and whenever they are under risk of being undermined.
With these words I would like to congratulate everybody who has been involved in the preparation of todays’ ceremony and in the erection of this beautiful monument to celebrate and honour the heroic Danish diplomat Povl Bang-Jensen.
Thank you for your attention.