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Post by bot on Nov 7, 2014 20:20:13 GMT -5
Hoyer Commemorates 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989: “On Sunday, I will join in marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A symbol of the oppressive Communist system that held nations captive in an iron grip, the wall was brought down not by force of arms but by the power of ordinary people, standing up for their freedom and filled with hope for a better future. As Chairman of the Helsinki Commission in the last days of the Cold War, I had the opportunity to meet with freedom fighters and pro-democracy activists from the Communist Bloc and worked to support their efforts to promote individual liberty and human rights behind the Iron Curtain. “When President Kennedy stood before the Berlin Wall in 1963, he declared: ‘Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free.’ He asked the people of Berlin and the world to ‘lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, to the hopes of tomorrow.’ When the people of Berlin chiseled away at the wall that had divided their city and the world for so long, they acted in the spirit of Kennedy’s words. A quarter century later, Germany is reunified, a close ally of the United States, and a leading voice for democracy and justice in Europe and throughout the world. We will continue working together to tear down walls of oppression and promote peace, democracy, and opportunity for all people.” Visit www.democraticwhip.gov/ for more press, floor and member resources.
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