Ex-Czech president calls for "revolution" of European countries against EU

Another voice has weighed in on the current state of disarray in the European Union over questions of immigration, globalism and national identity. The Washington Times was able to interview former Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus this week and he shared some rather remarkable views about the future of the continent. In a wide-ranging discussion, Klaus talks about the need for a “revolution” in European nations, but not of the violent sort. Making references to his own nation’s Velvet Revolution of nearly thirty years ago, he calls for a renewed recognition of independence and a rejection of the type of absolute control the EU is seeking to exert over its member nations.

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His country and his continent last century escaped fascism and communism, but former Czech President Vaclav Klaus argues that Europe desperately needs to be liberated again — this time from the clutches of globalists and multiculturalists, and from a European Union bent on imposing open borders and crushing the principle of sovereign rights.

Mr. Klaus, a longtime critic of the European Union who preached the virtues of national identity and secure borders long before the age of Brexit, told editors and reporters at The Washington Times on Tuesday that Europe needs a “fundamental, systemic” change along the lines of his own country’s Velvet Revolution nearly three decades ago.

But how such a monumental change comes about, he said, remains an open question.

When asked if he was talking about more countries leaving the EU as Britain is doing, Klaus scoffed. While there is great unrest over EU policies in many member nations, the will to push for complete withdrawal doesn’t exist in most of those countries. (At least not yet.) No, Klaus is invoking images of the Velvel Revolution.

It was one of the more remarkable moments in European history when the communist government of the former Czechoslovakia was forced to step aside in a matter of weeks, not by violent rebels burning down the houses of power, but by hundreds of thousands of citizens marching in the public square, peacefully demanding justice. The iron fist of the communists was thrown down seemingly overnight and a new parliamentary form of government was rapidly established.

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Is that the path European nations chaffing against EU dictates need to take? It seems as if it would be far easier for them to shrug off the mandates of the European Union than it would be to dissolve their own governments. After all, the EU commands no armies and can’t just start locking up the citizens of member nations wholesale. The Union’s very existence relies on the cooperation and economic contributions of its various members.

This is a remarkable interview and it’s worth reading the entire report. Klaus has been involved in European politics for a long time and probably knows what he’s talking about.

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Ed Morrissey 10:00 PM | November 21, 2024
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