Fierce attack

Vance sees Europe as the biggest problem for Europe

JD Vance fiercely attacked Europe in Munich.

(Bild: AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)

US Vice-President JD Vance has lamented the loss of democracy and freedom of expression in Europe, to the astonishment of the heads of state present. In his fiery speech at the Munich Security Conference, he declared these issues to be the greatest threat to the continent.

This is much more worrying than external threats from Russia or China, for example, said Vance on Friday afternoon in Munich. Or as he put it: "The danger from within." The Republican feared that "common values" would be lost.

Vance cited the EU Commission's action against the lack of moderation in social networks as an example of a loss of freedom of expression. For the American, this falls under censorship. "If American democracy can survive ten years of Greta Thunberg, you can survive a few months of Elon Musk."

The US Vice President also cited examples of anti-Christian incidents in Sweden and the UK. Europe was "afraid" of its own voters, Trump's right-hand man complained. He cast doubt on the USA's continued support for the continent.

First of all, European governments need to be clear about what there is to defend. "If you're afraid of your own voters, America can't do anything for you, and you can't do anything for the American people who elected President Trump and me," he said.

Vance explained that shutting out votes "protects nothing" and is "the surest way to destroy democracy." President Trump, on the other hand, is a role model in listening to all sides. Vance believes that "firewalls" do not work - and thus calls for the normalization of far-right forces.

On Ukraine, Vance merely said that he was certain that a "sensible solution" could be found. He spent the rest of his speech talking down Europe. 

At the end of his moral sermon, he quoted the Polish Pope John Paul II: "Do not be afraid," he said in his inaugural sermon in 1978. "We should not be afraid of our people, even if they express views that do not agree with their leadership." Afterwards, he received sparse applause in a room that for the most part seemed quite stunned.

Harsh words for the USA too
Earlier, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had called on US President Donald Trump's administration to stop breaking all the rules. "Even the strongest, including the USA, will be dependent on allies in this 21st century." Democracy is not an arbitrary business model.

"As a democrat, it worries me greatly when a small entrepreneurial elite has the power, the means and the will to redefine a significant part of the rules of liberal democracies," he warned. "And I am even more concerned when some of that elite make no secret of their contempt for the institutions and norms of our democracy."