During the EP plenary session (24-27/10) in Strasbourg,&nbsp;Martin SCHULZ, EP President, expresses himself&nbsp;on the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

EU - Hungary (T)

Statement by Martin SCHULZ, EP President on the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President,  Given the fact that all three institutions are present this morning, I have decided to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the uprising of the people of Hungary against the Soviet dictatorship. Sixty years ago on Monday, the uprising began. It lasted many weeks and cost many lives. The people of Hungary rose up against the dictatorship of a brutal and oppressive foreign regime, unrivalled in its violence.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President,  The struggle of the Hungarian people against the Soviet occupant is a struggle which is gone down in History and will not be forgotten. The example the people of Hungary set in 1956 had all sorts of consequences. The heroes of that struggle acted as models to others around the World, not just in Hungary. People around the World saw how you could stand up against the occupier. This uprising wasn&rsquo;t the first, but it was one of the most important in a long line of such uprisings. And after decades of oppression, eventually, it led to success. Without the enormous courage shown in 1956, the subsequent courage shown in the 1980s and in 1989, when Hungary opened to Austria, without that precedent, that courage would not have been possible.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President,  The courage of that uprising was fuelled by the desire of the people of Hungary to re-join with the European family. In 1989, they were asked to choose between the East and the West. They said: &ldquo;no, we choose Europe&rdquo;. And with that philosophy in mind, the fight against oppression across Central and Eastern Europe was inspired by the struggle of the Hungarians, a struggle which ultimately was for Europe.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President,  This morning, I had the opportunity to talk about this to Donald Tusk, someone who was himself, back in the 1980s, a freedom fighter, someone who went to prison for his beliefs. As a result, he underlined the profound solidarity with the peoples of Hungary. I think the European Parliament has a duty to extend its solidarity to the people of Hungary, we should never forget that many of the thousands of men and women who fought against the dictatorship were forced to leave their country, and those people were welcomed into other countries as refugee. So, in your name, I hope I successfully convey our solidarity to the people of Hungary.