Plenary address on the 13th of September, 2022, on the matter of the urgent need for action at EU level to ensure humane treatment of migrants in Europe, including at the borders.
It is scary to see fascism rear its ugly head in the European Parliament.
The “instrumentalisation” that was mentioned a lot today, must be defined and given subject. Turkey has been instrumentalising the issue as well
There is an ideological battle being waged here and we know it. We are on to them.
For years we have been arguing that the only realistic solution is to secure safe and legal asylum pathways, mandatory & equivalent relocation of refugees to all member states, and actual integration policies.
We now know that the far-right knows this is realistic but pretends not to understand.
It doesn’t fit the narrative of the far-right & its allies, because to admit it would mean losing the ability to instrumentalise the refugee issue, to instrumentalise pain & and the human need for life.
I agree with Mrs Birgit Sippel, with the S&D, with Renew, with Mrs Tineke Strik of the Greens, and I would like to take this line of thought one step further.
Without this instrumentalisation, how would they spin the “internal enemy” narrative, so comfortable to Far-Right rhetoric, so useful for polarizing voters? This brings to mind the darkest days of the 30s.
Yesterday, in this room, we talked about the wiretappings in Greece. One of the victims in that case was journalist Malichudis, investigating and reporting on the refugee issue. And for this reason exactly he has become an “enemy” to Greek PM Mr. Mitsotakis. In the same way that the Socialists, the Greens, Renew, NGOs, humanitarian organisations, they have all been dubbed “the enemy.”
These are views on which we can, most of us here, agree upon. I wouldn’t call them leftist, or radical, or humanitarian even, but realistic, meaningful and in line with our decisions and the values of our Union.
We know well that inaction at sea will always be fatal, as we know that fences will never deter the human need to flee a warzone. We cannot allow the violation of human rights, using dubious procedures as a means of deterrence.
Our Europe is nothing like America.
It must become like neither Russia, or China.
Our Europe is a beacon of Democracy.
