A Message from Austria

Day 765, 11:43 • Published in Spain Austria • by Rangeley


This summer, when Spain regained its sovereignty step by step, I celebrated with you. I was an opponent of the invasion of Spain before it even began, and spoke of it critically in the media, as a citizen. It was simply a war of revenge, and of vengeance. The way in which the people of invaded nations, all over the world, rallied together, put aside their differences, and moved forward, was something I think is worthy of being proud of - and this is certainly the case in Spain.

This winter, as France has taken its first steps towards regaining their sovereignty, I have celebrated with them. I believe the invasion of France was also a war of revenge, and of vengeance. Yet some circumstances are different. France is Austria's ally, and greatly helped us when we were invaded, last month, by Hungary. And this time, I was, and still am, for that matter, the President of Austria. I was the one to make the choice of what to do, and I decided to commit the Austrian Army to the defense of the invaded - to the defense of France.

While I was celebrating together with you this summer, for the cause of a nation working against the odds to regain their rightful territory, I realize that the current situation has us celebrating on different sides of the fence. Some day, I truly hope we can once again celebrate together.

And perhaps that day is today. I'm not here to make a demand of the Spanish government. I'm not a big fan of demands. But I am here to instead make a request of everyone - in Spain and beyond. I hope that you have a Merry Christmas - a Christmas with loved ones, a Christmas that you can enjoy and look back on fondly. A Christmas to remember. I hope you celebrate it in a way that makes you happy well beyond the day itself.

We might not be able to celebrate the same victories in this war, in this game, together; but we do have this. And frankly, I think this is much better.

Merry Christmas.