Difference is not a threat but a source of strength

Most societies in the world today include more
than one culture, one community or one tradition.
All too often in such a situation one element
may seek to dominate the society as a whole.
That approach can generate tension and conflict.
It is in the interests of all to work together
to build a society beneficial to all its members.
Northern Ireland and the European Union
are particularly strong examples of how the existence
of more than one culture can prove to be
positive in the building and development of society
through a process of conflict resolution.
It is now almost four decades since the beginnings
of the civil rights movement in Northern
Ireland, which has sought by peaceful means
the same rights and opportunities for all the people
living in Northern Ireland, irrespective of
their background or religion. Throughout those
years I have maintained that, when you have a divided
people, violence has absolutely no role to
play in healing the division or in solving the
problems—it only deepens the division. The
problem can be resolved only through peace,
stability, agreement, consensus and partnership.
There cannot be victory for one side or the other.
So long as the legitimate rights of each community
in Northern Ireland were not accommodated
together in a new political framework
acceptable to all, the situation would continue to
give rise to conflict and instability. There needed
to be agreement.
That is the purpose of the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
It represents an accommodation that protects
and promotes the identities and rights of all
political traditions, groups and individuals. No one
is asked to yield cherished convictions or beliefs.
Everyone is asked to respect the views and rights
of others as equal to his or her own.
I also believe that the European Union is the
best example of conflict prevention and conflict
resolution in international history. It is important
that we maintain and build on that record. European
visionaries demonstrated that difference—
whether of race, religion or nationality—is not a
threat, but is natural, positive and a source of
strength. It should never be the source of hatred
or conflict. A fundamental principle of peace is
respect for diversity.
I entered the European Parliament in 1979 on
the occasion of the first direct election to the
parliament by the voters of its then nine member
states. I will soon be stepping down from elected
public life, delighted in the knowledge that in
those 25 years the European Union has progressed
to the point that it will by then have expanded to
include 25 member states. This will end the artificial
division of our continent created after the Second
World War and reunite our European family.
The European Parliament’s location is in Strasbourg,
on the River Rhine, on the border between
France and Germany. When I first visited Strasbourg
I walked across the bridge from Strasbourg
in France to Kehl in Germany and reflected on the
tens of millions of people who had been killed in
the numerous wars waged for control of territory.
The European Union has replaced those conflicts
with co-operation between its people. It has transformed
its wide range of traditions from a source
of conflict into a source of unifying strength.
John Hume, MP MEP
1998 Nobel Peace Prize Winner