Direct student aid Switzerland - Hungary

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Former Federal Councilor Elisabeth Kopp and Lilian Jaeggi-Landolf , former members of the “Direct Student Aid Switzerland-Hungary”, together with Rector Hans Weder (front) and the former Vice Rector Alexander Borbély on the occasion of the inauguration of the plaque for the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian uprising University of Zurich. Inscription on the plaque: "The University of Zurich and the Swiss people in gratitude from the refugee Hungarian students after the violently suppressed freedom struggle in Hungary in 1956"

The Student Direct Aid Switzerland - Hungary (SDSU) is a Swiss organization that was founded by Zurich students during the Hungarian uprising in autumn 1956 . She collected money and donations in kind for the population in Hungary and supported refugee Hungarian students who came to Switzerland. The President of the SDSU was the later SP National Councilor Walter Renschler .

background

In October 1956 there was a popular uprising in Hungary , the population resisted the communist one-party dictatorship and the massive curtailment of their basic rights. After a solidarity rally at the University of Zurich , the Student Direct Aid Association Switzerland - Hungary (SDSU) was founded on October 29, 1956 by students from the ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. The purpose of the SDSU was to give the students in Hungary and the Hungarian people all possible support as quickly as possible. To this end, money, high quality food and medicines were collected.

Aid supplies

The collected aid goods were brought by representatives of the SDSU in several direct transports via Vienna to Hungary, for the first time on October 30, 1956. Although Hungary was again under communist rule from November 4, the SDSU carried out three more aid supplies approved by the authorities Budapest through. However, since there were more and more complications with the Hungarian authorities and the SDSU feared that their relief supplies would no longer reach the people in need, the direct transports to Hungary were stopped in the spring of 1957.

SDSU refugee aid

As a result of the violent suppression of the Hungarian uprising by the Soviet Union , a massive flow of refugees began. Over 250,000 Hungarians left their country. Switzerland took in around 14,000 of these refugees. The SDSU initially participated in the transport of refugees from Austria to Switzerland. On November 29, 1956, the SDSU was commissioned by the Federal Police Department to register and supervise all Hungarian students who had come to Switzerland. The approximately 350 Hungarian students were admitted to a central warehouse in Zurich and then distributed to the nine Swiss universities. In order to facilitate the transfer to the universities, the SDSU offered language courses and supported the students in finding accommodation.

The end of the SDSU

The Student Direct Help Switzerland - Hungary was dissolved after the registration and accommodation of Hungarian students as of April 30 1957th The relief campaign for refugee students in Switzerland took over the further care of the students .

literature

  • Walter Renschler : Activity report student direct aid Switzerland - Hungary. Zurich 1957.
  • David Tréfás: The illusion that you know each other: Swiss-Hungarian relations between 1945 and 1956. Chronos, Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-03-400904-1 .
  • George Zabratzky (Hrsg.): Flucht in die Schweiz: Hungarian refugees in Switzerland. Orell Füssli, Zurich 2006, ISBN 3-280-06065-6 .

Web links