September 1, 2012

21:00, the Chain Bridge. For about half an hour the 12,000 participants  made their way  to this locality.  Then, it was  dark and one could admire the beautiful effect of the lights on the waters of the River Danube.  It was really a breathtaking sight, a well-deserved one after  the seven kilometres walk along the streets of Budapest.

The march   started from the Sports Arena and   proceeded towards  Great Heroes Square.  A wide banner with the words “Let’s Bridge” could  be seen at the  front. The young people were waving the  flags of their respective countries, just as they did when they were in the arena.  A DUNA TV helicopter, flying over the crowd contributed  towards  the  joyful celebration. After Heroes Square,  the march recomposed itself again to  resume its way to Andassy Avenue and then to Szechenyi Square.  Chain Bridge , which is very near,  had already been closed to traffic and  it started to fill up.

Everything was ready for the flashmob. The scarf-shaped light piece of material that each one  carried, had the logo of the Genfest and the “=” sign printed on it. As soon as the word “stop” was heard on the microphone, everyone stopped and put  his/her arms up  holding the scarf.   There was  absolute silence. A countdown of  30 seconds was started, until a voice was heard  uttering  the numbers “3, 2,1”. Then shouts of joy could be heard, and scarves were waved.  Each participant   wrote on his scarf   the   significance of  the “=” sign  for the logo “Let’s Bridge” and    exchanged  this with others. This symbolized the sharing of the same ideal, concretized in so many different ways.

It was 22.30; the crowd started to disperse.   Someone  was heard saying  that this was the largest flashmob done so far on a bridge.  The young people looked visibly proud about all that was happening, and also  because their contribution  was giving visibility  to what they have proposed to do. I was particularly struck by an event that might  go unnoticed.  Two vehicles were  expected to follow the march and pick up the garbage  created  by the 12,000 participants. These two vehicles were declared available for other needs:  no waste was thrown on the ground.

Video on youtube: The Biggest Flashmob on a Bridge! (Genfest in Budapest)

Updated on 6th September 2012

BF

Information Service Focolare – SIF