London/Prague, June 21 (CTK) – Czech sociology professor Tomas Halik has called on the British “to reject the temptation to betray Europe” in their forthcoming national referendum in an open letter he released on the Independent Catholic News (ICN) website yesterday.
The vote on whether to leave the European Union will be held in Britain on June 23.
“The firm unity of Europe has never been as important as now. Two dark powers are waging an intense propaganda war against Europe aimed at weakening its unity and undermining the EU,” Halik writes in his appeal for joint responsibility, referring to the Islamic State and Russia.
He says the collapse of the EU would not bring about the sovereignty of nations, but instead mounting chaos and the threat of internal conflicts and local wars.
“The many weaknesses and deficiencies of the EU are an opportunity and challenge for a joint endeavour to improve and regenerate it, and not cowardly evade our shared responsibility,” Halik writes.
He writes that the generation of his parents had a love for Britain, which was disillusioned and aggrieved by the isolationism that prevailed at the 1938 Munich Conference where the British and French leaders rejected solidarity with Czechoslovakia.
“For many, the British and French display of national egoism meant a loss of trust in western democracy and many turned in desperation to Soviet Russia,” he says.
The Communists have never stopped making use of “the Munich betrayal” in their anti-Western and pro-Russian propaganda, he adds.
He writes that Brexit “would mean the beginning of the end for Great Britain” and it “would represent a major victory for Putin’s plans.”
Halik is a theologian, sociologist and Catholic priest. Two years ago, he received the prestigious Templeton Prize in London. On June 22, he will be awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford University.
