Tonight made me proud of Hungary.

What is happening in Budapest will stay with people for a long time. Lots of great Hungarian artists have taken the stage at Heroes’ Square, and the crowd has stretched all the way up Andrássy Avenue to Kodály Körönd. It is still going as I write this, and I have been watching for hours with my eyes glued to the screen.

This was never just a concert. People came because they had reached their limit. From the stage came call after call to vote this regime out. There were songs about corruption, theft and the cynicism that has poisoned public life. There were verses about the child abuse scandals and the rot this system has forced people to live with. The anger was unmistakable. So was the release of hearing it spoken aloud.

When whistleblowers Szilveszter Pálinkás and former NNI investigator Bence Szabó stepped onto the stage, the square erupted. Pálinkás spoke about honour, conscience and standing by the truth even when it costs you, then said he might be wearing his uniform for the last time. Szabó said that in a decent country there would be no need for a system-breaking concert, and that in this one even constitutional rights can no longer truly be exercised. Everyone listening knew exactly what he meant.

The crowd has been chanting “Dirty Fidesz” and “Russians go home.” Teenagers are there. Families are there. Older people are there. They are singing, shouting, smiling and looking at one another with something this country has been denied for far too long: hope.

Watching it all, I felt proud of Hungary. Proud that so many people still have the courage to stand up to a dirty regime built on fear, corruption, humiliation and lies. Proud of the dignity in that square. Proud that so many still believe this country is worth fighting for. Tonight feels like a nation raising its head and remembering itself.