From the Revd Alexander Faludy
Sir, — The last time that refugees were forced to travel in such numbers (and in such pitiful conditions) across Hungary’s border with Austria was in 1956. Then, 200,000 traumatised people, including my own grandparents, fled in front of the invading Soviet Army, and found a kind reception in the West.
It is a matter of shame that the Hungarian state cannot show towards today’s refugees a fraction of the generosity that was extended to its own, 60 years ago. Hungary’s Christian identity is not (as the Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed) jeopardised by the presence of Syrian Muslims within the country’s borders, but rather by the inhumanity of the country’s government toward them.
By contrast, individuals and charities in Hungary have provided food, water, and blankets at Budapest main railway stations, and at the roadside en route to the border with Austria. As in Britain, the warm-heartedness of ordinary people far exceeds that of the political leadership.
ALEXANDER FALUDY
The Vicarage
381 Station Road
Wallsend
NE28 8DT