MEP Gyöngyösi: Why is it good to belong to the West – video

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MEP Márton Gyöngyösi (Non-attached Member of the European Parliament) has published a video message in which he talks about why is it good to belong to the West: 

Text version of video message:

“In Russia today, if you do just as much as holding up a white sheet of paper to show your dissatisfaction with the political or economic situation, you’ll be arrested by the police and you’re lucky to ever emerge from some Siberian labour camp.
In China, even billionaire businessmen and well-known public figures can “disappear” for months after a critical comment, and when they do re-emerge, they are absolutely unwilling to talk about where they have been.
The right to freedom of speech does not exist in a significant part of the world, and the expression of negative opinions entails imprisonment.
When we talk about Europe, we should not forget how privileged we are to travel freely, express our opinions and not to give up our dreams for political reasons.
That’s why it’s so threatening that the Hungarian government is intent on further restricting these rights and opportunities.
Let’s not end up like the older generations who were separated from the free world by an iron curtain, living in a society where even your ability to enter higher education was decided on a political basis and where you had to face many years in prison or even worse for expressing opinions that are common in social media today.
It is a privilege to belong to the West and we can lose it. It is our responsibility not to end up on the wrong side of history again.”