Seanad debates
Thursday, 10 October 2002
Address by President of the European Parliament.
I do not say this with arrogance. These are good people and we should not, as western Europeans, approach them from a high plateau. History kicked them down through fascism and brute force under Hitler and Stalinism. In Hungary one will meet many wonderful people who survived the ravages of 1956. I have sat in parliamentary committees in the Seimas, the parliament in Vilnius in Lithuania, with men my age who were born in Siberia to parents sent there because they would not toe the line. There are wonderful people there. We may have material wealth but I hope we will show solidarity with these people who have real soul and values. These people have been in prison for values we only talk about. This is a special moment for me and these values matter.
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