REFUGEES: Hungary shames its own history

In 1956, when the Hungarian anti-communist revolution was overturned by Stalinist Russia, some 200,000 Hungarians fled west and were welcomed by Western Europe, Canada and the United States. I came to know some of them, people seeking democracy and decent lives. One became the best friend of my lifetime.

Now the Hungarian government is showing the most vicious anti-immigrant policy toward refugees trying to get through Hungary to democratic Western nations where they hope to escape war, tyranny and poverty. But the Hungarian government has built a barbed-wired fence along its border and adopted new laws making crossing the border a criminal offense.

Shame on the Hungarian government! Pity the poor refugees. They are fleeing the “wrong” brand of tyranny.

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 12:34 PM with the headline "REFUGEES: Hungary shames its own history."