“Our struggle is not against any religion but against those who forcibly try to impose their beliefs on our societies, as well as any other centers outside Europe that support these actions by any means.” Those were the words of the Secretary-General of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IAO) and member of the Hellenic Parliament, Maximos Charakopoulos, in a letter to the President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka and the President of the Federal Council of Austria, Andrea Eder-Gitschthaler, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Vienna.
In his letter, Maximos Charakopoulos states the following: “With feelings of sorrow and pain, we were informed of the new terrorist attacks launched by intolerant extremists in a landmark city of European culture, Vienna.
On behalf of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy, which includes MPs from 25 Member States, I would like to extend our deepest sorrow and express our indignation at these tragic events.
I would like to extend our sincere condolences to the victims innocent and defenseless fellow human beings during the outbreak of violence. As has been the case in the recent terrorist acts in France, the terrorists have waged a war on the principles and values of Europe, mainly on the freedom of speech and thought.
They seek to undermine the European acquis and the individual freedoms that are the right of every citizen of the great European family by leaving death in their wake. Their ultimate goal is to make Europe, in a state of fear, renounce the principles and values on which European culture was founded.
We must resolutely oppose these subversive aspirations of extremist circles, and safeguard the European spirit of freedom. Our struggle is not against any religion but against those who forcibly try to impose their beliefs on our societies, as well as any other centers outside Europe that support these actions by any means.”
Source: ANA-MPA
