The fall of the Berlin Wall brought an end to communism in Europe, but support for the hard left is more abundant than ever in the Western world. That was the message from ECR Group Co-Chair Ryszard Legutko ahead of this weekend's commemorations to mark the 30th anniversary since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Speaking on Friday Legutko, who during communist rule in Poland was an anti-communism campaigner and dissident, said:

“The fall of the Berlin wall has come to be a symbol of the victory of the opposition to the communist system across Eastern Europe.

“While the Solidarity movement emerged in Poland, becoming a serious threat to the Soviet regime, opposition had spread across the bloc from Latvia to Hungary and the then Czechoslovakia. Though the Soviets’ brutally tried to crush the unrest, nothing could stop us.

“Today we should be commemorating the end of Communism in Europe, the most murderous system in the history of mankind. However, its fall has strengthened the hard left and support for the command economy in the Western world, instead of weakening it. They do not feel any responsibility for communism but – to the amazement of many Eastern Europeans – declare themselves to be its alternative. They are communists rebranded and what is just as concerning, Christian Democrats are capitulating to the new left agenda.

“The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall should be a time of reflection and to remember there are some things we should never take for granted.”