One of the things I want to talk about present is, of course, the values we share. And you know, it's large to be back in Germany. As you heard earlier, I was here last year as an American senator. I saw the British abroad Minister David Lama today, and I joked that each of us had a different occupation last year than today. But present it is time for all the countries gathered here, for all of us, happy to get a political mandate from our voters – to usage it to improve their lives.
I besides want to say that I was fortunate to have spent any of my time here – in the last 24 hours – outside the walls where this conference takes place. And I'm impressed by the hospitality of people, even erstwhile they inactive feel the effects of yesterday's terrible attack. [this is about the attack in Munich – deliberately driving into a group of people by Afghans, which took place on Thursday 13 February and caused injuries in 36 people – AW]. In fact, the first time I was in Munich, it was on a private journey with my wife, who is here with me today. I have always loved the city of Munich and its people.
I just want to say that we are very moved and our thoughts, and prayers are centered around Munich and all affected by the evil of this wonderful community. We think of you, we pray for you, and we will naturally support you in the coming days and weeks.
We have gathered at this conference, of course, to discuss security. And we usually mean external threats to our security. I see many leading military representatives present today. But, although the Trump administration is very afraid about Europe's safety and believes that we can come to a sensible agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and we besides believe that it is very crucial that Europe should take a large step forward in the coming years to guarantee its own defence, The threat that I am most afraid about, and which stands by the vis’a’vis of Europe, is not Russia, is not China, nor is any external factor. I'm most afraid about the threat coming from within. Europe abandons its most fundamental values; values shared by the United States of America.
I was shocked that the erstwhile European Commissioner had late appeared on tv and was delighted by the fact that the Romanian Government had cancelled the presidential elections. He threatened that if things did not go as planned, the same could besides happen in Germany.
Such delicious statements are shocking to the American ears. Over the years, we have been told that everything we finance and support is done in the name of our shared democratic values. Everything, from our Ukrainian policy to censorship of digital media, is called the defence of democracy. But erstwhile we see a European court cancelling elections and a elder authoritative threatening to cancel others, we should ask ourselves whether we have adequate advanced demands. And I say "we" due to the fact that I firmly believe that we are playing on the same team.
We gotta do more than just talk about democratic values. We gotta live them. Let us see, among the many present in this room, that the Cold War has put the defenders of democracy in opposition to the more tyrannical forces on this continent. And announcement which side of the fight censored dissidents, closed down churches that committed election fraud. Were they “good boys”? Of course, no.
Thank God they lost the Cold War. They lost due to the fact that they neither appreciated nor respected all the extraordinary blessings of freedom, freedom of amazement, freedom of error, freedom of invention or building. As it turned out, you can't order innovation or creativity, just as you can't impose on people what to think, what to feel, what to believe. And we believe that these things are evidently connected. Unfortunately, erstwhile I look at Europe today, it sometimes seems unobvious what has happened to any winners of the Cold War.
I am looking towards Brussels, where European Union Commissioners endanger citizens to close social media at a time of social unrest, at a time erstwhile they see something that they will see as "a hateful content"; or the country where police raid citizens suspected of writing anti-feminist comments, as part of the "fight against misogyny" on the Internet.
I am looking at Sweden, where 2 weeks ago the government sentenced a Christian activist for his engagement in the burning of the QuranWhich resulted in his friend being murdered. And as the justice coldly stated in this case – the Swedish law, allegedly standing defender on freedom of speech, does not, in fact, admit – I quote – a "pass" to do or say anything without the hazard of offending groups who believe in something.
And possibly the most disturbing – I look at our dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the departure from the rights of conscience put fundamental freedoms, and the spiritual British in particular, on the target. A small over 2 years ago, the British government accused Adam Smith Conner, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and war veteran, of a shameful crime of standing 50 meters from the abortion clinic and of silent prayer for 3 minutes, without disturbing anyone, just quietly praying alone. After the British law enforcement authorities spotted him and demanded disclosure of what he was praying for, Adam simply replied that he did so on behalf of his unborn son. He and his erstwhile partner had an abortion many years earlier. But the law didn't impress. Adam was found guilty of breaking the fresh government's Buffer region Law, which criminalizes silent prayer and another actions that may affect the decisions of individuals within 200 metres of the abortion point. He was sentenced to pay thousands of pounds of judicial costs to the prosecution.
I want I could say that it was an accident, a one-time, crazy expression of a miswritten law, applied to 1 person. But no. In October, just a fewer months ago, the Scottish government began sending letters to citizens, citizens whose homes stand within alleged safe access zones, threatening that even private prayer in their own homes could mean breaking the law. Naturally, the government urged readers to study on fellow citizens suspected of committing this crime of thought in Britain and throughout Europe.
Freedom of speech, I think, is in retreat, and for comedy, and for truth. I admit that sometimes the loudest voices demanding censorship come not from Europe, but from my own country, where the erstwhile administration threatened and intimidated social media owners with censorship of alleged misinformation. specified disinformation as the coronavirus most likely came out of a laboratory in China. Our own government encouraged private companies to silence citizens who dared to talk about what proved to be apparent truth.
So I came here not to share my insights, but to offer. And just as the Biden administration has tried desperately to silence people for saying what they think, so the Trump administration will do precisely the opposite, and I hope we can work together on it.
W Washington has a fresh sheriff in town. Under the leadership of Donald Trump, we may disagree with your point of view, but we will fight for your right to present him in public space. Do you agree or not? We are now at a point, of course, where the situation has deteriorated so rapidly that in December Romania simply cancelled the results of the presidential elections, on the basis of the frail suspicions of the peculiar services and under the large force of European neighbours. As I realize it, the argument was that Russian misinformation had a negative impact on Romanian elections. But I will ask my European friends to look from a different perspective. You can believe that it is incorrect for Russia to buy out ads on social media to influence your choices. We evidently think so. You can even condemn this internationally. But if your democracy could be destroyed with a fewer 100 1000 dollars spent on digital advertising by a abroad state, then it was not very strong from the beginning.
But I thought your democracy wasn't as fragile as many people fear.. And I truly believe that allowing our citizens to say what they think will make them even stronger. Which, of course, brings us back to Munich, where the organizers of this conference banned Members representing populist parties, both left and right, from participating in these discussions. And again, we don't gotta agree with everything and with anything people say. But erstwhile political leaders represent an crucial group of voters, it is our work to participate in dialog with them.[Vance refers to the ban on access to the conference for representatives of the alternate for Germany (AfD) and the Alliance of Sara Wagenknecht – AW].
For many of us on the another side of the Atlantic it all looks more and more like old, rooted interest groups hiding behind evil words from russian times, like misinformation, and who simply hatred the thought that individual with a different viewpoint can express a different opinion or – God forbid! – vote differently or even worse – win the election.
This is simply a safety conference, and I am certain everyone has come here prepared to talk about how specifically you intend to rise defence spending in the next 5 years, as set out in the fresh assumption. And great, due to the fact that as president Trump has made this very clear, he believes that our European friends must play a greater function in the future of this continent. I do not think that you know the word "sharing a burden", but I think that this is an crucial part of the common alliance, so that Europeans will emergence to the challenge, while America will focus on those parts of the planet that are in large danger.
But let me ask you, how can you even start reasoning about budgeting if we don't really know what we're actually defending? I've heard quite a few conversations so far, and I've had quite a few excellent conversations with many people here. I've heard a lot about what you request to defend yourselves, and it's truly important. But what seemed a small little clear to me, and surely besides to many European citizens, is precisely what you would have defended yourself against. What is the affirmative imagination that revives this common safety pact that we all consider so important?
I firmly believe that there is no safety if you are afraid of the voices, opinions and consciences that guide your own people. Europe faces many challenges. But the crisis that this continent is facing now, the crisis, as I believe, that we are all facing together, is due to ourselves. If you stand for election in fear of your own voters, America can do nothing for you. And as a result, there's nothing you can do for the Americans who chose me and president Trump. You request a democratic mandate to accomplish anything worthwhile in the coming years.
Haven't we learned anything from experience that a weak mandate yields unstable results? But there are so many values that can be obtained from this kind of democratic mandate, which I think will consequence from greater sensitivity to the voices of citizens. If you want to enjoy a competitive economy, if you want to enjoy inexpensive energy and safe supply chains, you request a mandate to govern due to the fact that you gotta make tough decisions to enjoy all of these things.
And of course, we know that very well. In America, you cannot get a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail. Whether it is the leader of the opposition, a humble Christian praying in his own home, or a writer trying to study the news. Nor can you get it by ignoring your basic electorate on issues specified as who may be part of our common society. And of all the urgent challenges facing the peoples here, I believe that there is nothing more crucial than mass migration.
Today, nearly 1 in 5 people surviving in this country come from outside. That, of course, is the highest score in history. Similarly, in the United States and besides there, it is simply a evidence score. The number of immigrants who are in the EU and who come from non-European countries doubled in the years 2021 and 2022 alone. And, of course, it's grown a lot since then.
We know the situation. It didn't happen in a vacuum. This is the consequence of a series of conscious decisions made by politicians across the continent and others, around the world, over the last decade. We've seen the horror caused by these decisions in the city we're in. Of course, I cannot callback this again without reasoning of the tragic victims whose beautiful winter day in Munich has turned into hell. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and will stay with them. But why did it even happen?
This is simply a terrible story, but 1 of many that can be heard besides many times in Europe and unfortunately, besides many times in the United States. The asylum seeker, frequently a young man aged twenty, already known to the police, hits the crowd with a car and weakens society. Community. How many times do we gotta endure these horrific failures before we change course and lead our common civilization in a fresh direction? No voters on this continent went to the polls to open the gate to millions of untested immigrants. But you know what they voted for? In England, they voted for Brexit. And by agreeing or disagreeing, they voted for him. And they are increasingly voting across Europe for political leaders who promise to end uncontrolled migration. I agree with many of these concerns, but you don't gotta agree with me. I just think people are worried about their homes. They take care of their dreams. They take care of their safety and ability to supply for themselves and their children.
And they're smart. I think it's 1 of the most crucial things I've learned in my short time in politics. Unlike what you can hear a fewer mountains away, in Davos, citizens of all our countries do not mostly think of themselves as educated animals or interchangeable gears of the planet economy.It is besides not amazing that they do not want to be pushed around or constantly ignored by their leaders. And it is simply a substance of democracy to settle these large issues at the ballot box. I am convinced that ignoring people, ignoring their concerns or even worse, closing the media, cancelling elections, excluding people from the political process, does not defend anything. In fact, this is the easiest way to destruct democracy. Speaking and expressing your opinion is not interfering with elections. Even if people talk opinions outside your own country and even if these people are very influential – and believe me, I say this with humor – if American democracy could last 10 years of scolding by Greta Thunberg, you, my gentlemen, can last a fewer months of swindling by Elona Muska.
But what no democracy can survive, American, German or European, is telling millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their requests for relief, are irrelevant or even unworthy of being taken into account. Democracy is based on the sacred rule that the voice of people matters. There's no area for blocking the uncomfortable. Either you're maintaining that regulation or you're not. Europeans, people, have a voice. European leaders have a choice. And I firmly believe that we do not request to fear the future.
Accept what people tell you, even if you find it amazing or if you disagree. And if you do so, you will be able to face the future, surely and trust, knowing that your nations are behind each of you. And this is the large magic of democracy for me. She's not in those stone buildings or beautiful hotels. It is not even in those large institutions that we have built together in our common society.
To believe in democracy is to realize that each of our citizens has his own wisdom and his own voice. And if we refuse to perceive to his voice, even our most effective efforts will only safe very little. As John Paul II erstwhile said, in my opinion 1 of the most remarkable advocates of democracy on this continent and on all others – “Do not be afraid!” We should not be afraid of our own people even if they express opinions contrary to their leaders' views.
Thank you all. I want everyone good luck. God bless you!
crowd. Adam Laughter, "Think Poland"
