The first crack in the Berlin Wall was caused by the Hungarian Revolution of 1956

At the European Parliament, representatives of different political groups joined together to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, organised by Italian MEP Carlo Fidanza. Enikő Győri, Fidesz MEP, said in her speech that “the Berlin Wall did not come down, but brave patriots, Central Europeans brought it down”. 

The MEP pointed out that “we are not automatically entitled to what we take for granted today. Such is the case with freedom. Our task is to ensure that the generation that has grown up since then understands that freedom is something that had to be fought for.”

Enikő Győri noted that “the first crack in the wall separating East and West, dictatorship and freedom, was caused by the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Hungarians not only fought for their own freedom, but also helped the Germans in their national unification efforts in 1989. As Chancellor Kohl once put it: the Hungarians pulled the first brick out of the Berlin Wall. I hope that Germany and the European Union never forget this.”

The politician underlined that “physically, there are no more walls, but mentally there are still dividing lines. Moreover, from 2008, the Union has been going from crisis to crisis; war is raging again on the continent, and Ukraine is fighting against the Russian occupation. So, there is a greater need for internal unity than ever before. This would require greater openness, tolerance and empathy towards each other. Because what makes the Union great is not uniformity, but mutual acceptance and respect for each other. And the Union is strong when it is made up of strong nations working together towards common goals. This is also the guarantee of peace and welfare on the continent. I wish that we dare to draw inspiration from our freedom-fighting past, and never, for a moment, give up the desire to experience freedom to the fullest.”