Speeches

I joined a democratic, green leftist party almost fifty years ago. First of all, because the fight for justice and freedom was important to me. When we see injustice, we must say no. I see this as our democratic duty. One of the biggest injustices we are currently seeing is what is happening in Ukraine, where the Russian brutal attack on the Ukrainian civilian population is now underway in its fourth year. For four years, Russia has been trying to bring the Ukrainian people to their knees. But there are people in this Parliament who are doing what they can to help the aggressors along the way. As always, oppose any move that holds Russia accountable. And it may well be that those forces in this House do not see it as necessary to call injustice when you see them. But I do. When you have violently assaulted a country, the bill comes. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to either the so-called patriots or others that the aggressors must pay for their abuses. And it's unpatriotic to let down a country that's being attacked.

Since the peace agreement came into force, nearly one hundred Palestinians have been killed and only half of the promised amounts of aid are allowed in. The humanitarian situation is disastrous, as the Commissioner said. In the West Bank, the settler violence is brutal, the number of roadblocks is on the rise, the olive harvest of Palestinian farmers is being destroyed, and people are being expelled from their own country. Trump's 20-point plan doesn't solve 80 years of war and conflict. It is amazing that the living Israeli hostages have finally returned home and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been given their freedom. But a thousand men, women and children are still in Israeli prisons - many without trial and rights - most of them subjected to humiliation. One of those who should be released is Marwan Barghouti. A man who could potentially unite the Palestinians. He and Palestine should be given a chance to find a common path of freedom and peace. The EU should push for this, just as we must support de-radicalisation on both sides and demand that war criminals be held accountable for their war crimes.

Madam President! In recent weeks, Russia's aggression has crossed all previous borders. We have been under massive pressure from hybrid threats, but of course not on a scale that is just reminiscent of what the Ukrainians and the Ukrainian population are exposed to. In Denmark, too, we have seen intimidation and provocations on an unprecedented scale. Among other things, drones have invaded our airspace. These episodes also make it clear to me that we all have a responsibility for our common European security. What is happening in Denmark, what is happening in Poland, what is happening in the Baltic States and, most recently, in Germany, are common European problems that require common European solutions. I am a great admirer of the Ukrainian people, who in their fourth year are standing up to Russian aggression and are now even coming to the rescue of Europe. We can learn so much from Ukrainians, which is why close cooperation with the Ukrainian defence industry is key. Let me be clear: Russia's continued aggression violates international law. From the European side, we must stand together, we must stand with Ukraine, and we must not allow Russian provocations to cast doubt on our will to defend ourselves.

Mr President! Today, two years ago, Hamas carried out a brutal terrorist attack. Another trauma has been added to Jewish history. My thoughts go out to the affected families and the hostages, and there are no excuses for killing innocent civilians. Israel's response was heavy bombs that destroyed everything. A huge number of people were killed, wounded and traumatized. Israel has blocked aid. There is no excuse for the killing of innocent civilians. We see a man-made famine and a paralysed EU. In this human rights vacuum, Europeans in many countries have taken to the streets demanding sanctions, demanding consequences. Hundreds, including some of our colleagues, have tried to break the blockade and bring aid by ship to Gaza. Israel also violated international law. We need a permanent ceasefire and emergency aid. Everyone needs to recognise that Palestinians have the right to live in a sustainable state. Occupation and war crimes must have consequences. And the Israelis and Palestinians must be able to see each other as fellow human beings and neighbours. Trump's possible peace is better than bombs, but it's crucial: Peace must guarantee the right of Palestinians to remain in Gaza. The total lack of European action in this context is a shameful story.

In a few weeks' time Moldova will be going to elections and fortunately there are many who want to become part of the European Community. Incidentally, I think it is remarkable that countries are queuing up to join the European Union. It says something about the attraction, while there are other countries that threaten to force the country into not wanting it. That says something about the opposite. I look forward to going to Moldova to follow the elections as an observer here in a few weeks' time, which is why I have also been more diplomatic in my speech today than I really wanted to. But the pressure from the East and the attempt by a number of countries to pull away from Europe with waves of disinformation is huge. This is a coordinated attack to undermine democracy. That is why we need to tell Moldovans, both those who live in Moldova and those who live here in the European Union. If that is your wish, then you are welcome in our European community. I am glad that President Sandu stood in this House today and reminded us how much is at stake. We cannot stand idly by while a European democracy is subjected to hybrid attacks by outside powers, and we need to emphasise that there is a way forward for Moldova in our European community. If that's what they want.

Madam President! I'm always so impressed with these debates. Over the fact that the extreme right is not able to mention in a single word the pain that is being inflicted on the Palestinian people right now. What is happening is that Israel is punishing an entire people for the outrageous acts of the terrorists. They use hunger as a weapon, the carpet bomb hospitals, tent camps and schools. They're shooting kids, they're starving kids, they're bombing kids. None of this can be excused with Bible quotes or self-defense. And that is why EU countries and the EU have a huge responsibility to stop the war crimes that are taking place. It is embarrassing that we are not able to hold them to account. We have influence, and I think we should use it much better than we do now, and that is why it is necessary to impose sanctions as one, but it is also important as the other to suspend the trade agreement, which is the really powerful means we have of putting pressure on Israel. There is no doubt that Israel violates human rights and all humanitarian laws. We have the words of a myriad of international legal systems that what is going on is crimes against humanity. It's not just in Gaza, it's also in the West Bank. I still believe that the two-state solution with internationally recognised borders of 1967 is the only viable solution for both peoples. But this requires that we first ensure the right of the Palestinians to survive. And if you are in favour of a two-state solution, it is in the nature of things that you also recognise a Palestinian state.

Madam President! I am always surprised by those of my colleagues from the far right who can only talk about the pain of Israelis who lose, but are not able to understand in a single word, the losses for the Palestinians in a situation where it is becoming increasingly desperate for the Palestinian population in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Israeli bombing leaves a Gaza in ruins, people without homes, without hospitals and without schools. It is a collective punishment of an entire people for Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7. Israel is blocking everything. food, water, medicine, fuel, and at the few emergency distributions they are fired upon by the military when they arrive. People are starving and dying, and the world is watching. Israel is committing terrible war crimes in Palestine. This is also why resistance to the war is growing in Europe and in Israel, where the huge demonstrations continue to stop the war and to get the hostages home. We need to force the far-right Israeli government to stop the bombing and starvation of an entire people.

Mr President! With all eyes on Israel and Iran, we must not forget that the bombs are still raining down on Gaza's starving population. First held in an iron grip by Hamas since 2007 and then bombed by Israel. As the King of Jordan said yesterday in this House: A shameful version of our humanity is unfolding before our eyes, right now, and our global values are being unraveled at shocking speed with devastating consequences. Nowhere are they clearer than in Gaza. End of Quote. Israel continues to bomb tent camps, hospitals, schools, families and children. People who have fled over and over and over again. There is enough relief, but Israel is still blocking food, water, medicine, nothing coming in. Neither do foreign journalists who can document the atrocities. In the West Bank, Netanyahu's far-right government approves new settlements, at the latest 22. Violent settler gangs are at large, and Palestinian lives are aggravated by blockades, arrests, destruction and economic ruin. Enough is long enough. The EU's association agreement with Israel must and must be suspended.

Madam President! Children are dying of hunger. They're doing it right now. The situation is deteriorating dramatically in Palestine these days. In Gaza, a human catastrophe is unfolding. Israel has been blocking all forms of aid for 80 days. Nothing has come in to the bombed, starved and exhausted population. And Israel continues to bomb, even though almost everything has already been destroyed. And now Netanyahu is openly talking about clearing the Gaza Strip of Palestinians. Israel will permanently occupy Gaza. In the West Bank and Jerusalem, settlements are spreading. Palestinians are being expelled by thousands. Settler violence and military assaults are everyday occurrences, and from the far right there is not even a single understanding of the tragedy affecting a completely innocent people. The EU has demanded access to emergency aid, but Israel imposed a full blockade. The EU has demanded an end to settlements, Israel has allowed more. If we actually believe in human rights, international law and the international legal system, then the time has come to activate Article 2 of the EU Association Agreement with Israel and suspend them. We do not need any more evidence that Israel is violating international law and human rights.

Many of us sitting here have probably tried it. Delivered our children to school, in a daycare center or in a sports club. Imagine dropping a son or daughter on the sidewalk of a school or sports club on a random morning and never seeing their face again and never hearing their voice again because they have been kidnapped and abducted to a foreign country where they are forbidden to speak their language as their mother or father taught them. Where they are indoctrinated. Where they get stabbed, the oldest of them, a Kalashnikov up in their hands. In eastern Ukraine, Putin's regime has kidnapped at least 19,000 Ukrainian children, forcibly transferring them to Russian families and camps, where they are raised to fight Putin's cause. I don't have words to describe how scary it is, but that's the reality. Some of us sitting here in the room, who also visited Ukraine two months ago, we met the organization called "Save Ukraine", which runs in and picks up the kids back again, and we met some of the kids. All this shows how despicable a war Putin is waging in Ukraine. And if you didn't already think that Putin had reached a civilizational low by starting the war by bombing civilian targets, then it's hard to think otherwise now, isn't it? That is why it is so important that everyone unreservedly condemns both the things that are happening in the war, but also the Russian kidnapping of Ukrainian children. And it is noteworthy that the extreme right, which is otherwise closely aligned with Putin, did not think that it was worth taking the floor in the debate this evening.

Madam President! Those who know Greenland and the Greenlanders know that it is a very proud people that houses a unique culture and nature. The future of Greenland therefore belongs to the Greenlandic people. That is why the total lack of respect is what Trump, Vance and their allies are showing. Their rise creates insecurity and fear in the Greenlandic population. I have just returned from Greenland, a month ago, and it is simply not okay. Trump says he wants Greenland for the sake of international security. Let's look at that argument: In 1951, Denmark and the United States concluded a defence agreement that allows the Americans to station troops in Greenland. Back in the 1950s, 10,000 American soldiers were stationed at a number of bases in Greenland. Today, there are 140. In comparison, Denmark is in the process of increasing its military presence with drones and ships. These facts speak for themselves. Therefore, it is strange that Denmark should be called a bad ally. Trump's and Musk's interests in Greenland are probably also a desire to be able to open up for a completely uncontrolled hunt for oil and minerals in Greenland, without limitation for the sake of the vulnerable Arctic environment and the vulnerable nature. "Drill baby, tease," Trump said. The path towards greater self-determination that we have taken in recent years must, in my view, continue. There is only one party in Greenland to determine Greenland's future, and that is Greenland itself. The same applies to Greenland's relationship with the EU, where there are many opportunities for closer cooperation both for the benefit of the EU and Greenland. But the important thing is: Nothing about Greenland without Greenland!

Madam President! In the ruins of the Gaza Strip, two million Palestinians have lost everything. Really everything. Since March 2, Israel has blocked access to humanitarian aid, food and medicine. They've shut off power and water. On March 18, Israel broke the ceasefire, and since then the bombs have caused more death and destruction. Netanyahu and Trump are now openly talking about the cleansing of the Palestinian people. He threatened hell on earth. The people of Gaza already know everything about hell on earth, and even in the utterly unbearable situation, people are still able to demonstrate against Hamas. What a resilience. At the same time, Israel bans UNRWA, which was the guarantee of neutral relief, education and health. Trump and Netanyahu have turned their backs on the international legal system. We Europeans must now show that we believe in rules and rights. That we have learned from history and stand together against hatred and violence. That is why we must ensure conditions for a viable Palestinian state.

Madam President! According to the UN, more than 12 300 civilians, including 650 children, have lost their lives and more than 40 000 have been injured. These are only numbers, only statistics, and they represent broken families, broken dreams and a generation of trauma. What is happening in Ukraine is a terrible crime committed by an aggressive and irresponsible Russian regime with a power-hungry Vladimir Putin. Every day, every hour, Ukrainian civilians fall victim to Putin's aggressive ambitions. Russia's bombs and missiles hit not only military targets, but hospitals, schools and homes that are now in ruins. It's a disgrace to all of us that this is allowed to happen. In addition to the civilian casualties, terrible crimes are being committed by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil. Arbitrary executions, torture, sexual assault, child abduction - these are not isolated incidents, this is a systematic campaign of terror aimed at the Ukrainian population. These are war crimes of enormous proportions, and we must demand that they be brought to an end. Therefore, to you Commission and colleagues: Let us take further steps that weaken Russia and strengthen Ukraine's independence and its borders. We are going to play a bigger role in Ukraine, both to secure Ukraine, but also to send a clear message to Putin and his criminal regime. Europe sees what is happening. Europe knows what is happening and we will not allow it to go unpunished.

Madam President, I make this point of order referring to Rule 40(1) in the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament. As a former Foreign Minister of Denmark, I urge my urges to do all they can to stand with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland in these telling days. We are threatened by Trump, and I will continue from here in Danish. We live in uncertain times. Our European Union is – and has always been – built on mutual respect and trust. We Danes and Greenlanders are now experiencing the exact opposite from Trump and his people. We must stand together against this threat. We can only do this through European solidarity. That is why I call on all my colleagues in this House to speak out clearly against the aggression we are seeing from Washington. The people of Greenland have just elected a new government, which requires the support of the international community. That is why I share this message with you: Say no to Trump. Say we believe in trust, not in threats. Tell your governments that Trump's rhetoric is disrespectful and unacceptable!

Madam President! It pains me to note that we can no longer trust the United States under Trump's leadership. I have just returned from Ukraine. Here the people of the country are fighting for their lives, their freedom and their future. We see the Ukrainian people being let down by the United States. The US has made it easier for Russia to bomb Ukraine and kill civilians. We see that every day now in the numbers of casualties. We no longer know our close allies. In the White House, freedom fighter Zelenskyy must be humiliated and pressured to say thank you in front of the rolling camera. It's disgraceful! However, I would like to thank you. Thanks to Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people for standing against the autocrats. Thank you to the Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the battlefield. Colleagues, let me be clear: Europe must become independent from Trump's United States. This means increased cooperation with armaments, technology and intelligence. This means creating the necessary alliances with those countries that still support a world shaped by the international legal order. This means that we must believe in ourselves, in Europe and in Ukraine.

Madam President! A riviera of gold, glittering skyscrapers built on the bones of 50 000 dead Palestinians. It can hardly be more absurd and despicable than what Trump is proposing. Netanyahu and Trump recognize that Gaza is uninhabitable after 16 months of carpet bombing. But Trump's solution of forcibly transferring two million people from their own country is further proof that he doesn't care about justice and that he doesn't care about international law. In the West Bank, the Israeli military has killed at least 70 people this year. Bulldozers and bombs have destroyed Palestinian homes. There are an increasing number of checkpoints and closed areas that make normal life impossible for Palestinians. It is clear to everyone that the international legal order is under threat. Israel ignores the ICJ's demand to avoid genocide in Gaza. The United States imposes sanctions on the ICC. Israel is making a UN humanitarian institution illegal, namely UNRWA. From the EU side, we should consider activating Article 2 of the Association Agreement with Israel and stopping trade in goods from the occupied territories. We should also consider responding to US sanctions against the ICC and supporting the Arab Peace Initiative. Peace requires freedom and security, but for both peoples.

Mr President! Three years! For three years, people in Ukraine have been terrorised every day. What we see from Putin's war machine is nothing less than a horrific attack on a country, on innocent and defenseless civilians, a violation of all international law. Consistently, he tries to paralyze the country with attacks on critical infrastructure. Innocent people are now living through the third harsh winter without light, without heat. Together, Europe and the United States have led a joint support for the Ukrainian freedom struggle. But now our strong cooperation seems to be becoming uncertain with the US choice of a self-centered oligarch. That is why it is so important that we in Europe do not shake hands. We can do more than we do, and we must also make it clear to Putin that he will not end up victorious after the merciless, unprovoked war of aggression that he himself has started. We can do more and we need to do more.

Mr President! If anyone doubted that the election of a new US president would have far-reaching consequences, they must be convinced yesterday. The United States is emerging from international agreements that, among other things, limit the catastrophic climate change we see. The democratic rules of the world society are back when a big ally threatens a smaller one. I was elected in Denmark. We are part of a national community with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which we are pleased with. A national community that has been threatened with economic and military power if that community is not torn apart. Trump said yesterday: Denmark will adapt. I repeat, Trump said yesterday: Denmark will adapt. This is a completely unheard of and frightening rhetoric we are witnessing at the moment. Not only in Denmark, but also in Greenland. It is important that we act with due diligence from the European side. Make it clear that Greenland is Greenland's. In a world of threats from authoritarian leaders, there is an alternative. We want an alternative for a self-determining Greenlandic people who can work closely together, also with our European community.

Mr President! Finally, a ceasefire. Nothing in this world justifies taking hostages, but there is nothing in this world that justifies fighting an entire people in the fight against terror. A people squeezed between the Hamas regime and Israel's siege before the war. Even before the war, the situation in Gaza was untenable. Now it's unbearable. After 16 months of war against the civilian population with bombs of residential areas, refugee camps, hospitals and schools, the destruction of Gaza is total. The majority of the more than 47,000 deaths are women and children. The number is incomprehensible. Now the fight for rapid reconstruction is starting, and the international community and the European Union must take responsibility for the future of both peoples. The international community must act quickly to find the necessary resources, the necessary relief, get it in and stop Israel's ban on UNRWA. The borders into Gaza must be opened for emergency aid and for international organisations and journalists, with pressure on the extremes in Israel and Hamas, so that the war does not continue, but with the placing of responsibility for the atrocities. The international legal system has been set up to set a lower bound for the nefarious. When the ICC issues an arrest warrant, we have a duty to comply with it, otherwise we undermine legal certainty. For too many years, we have accepted the undermining of agreements. The two-state solution is the only way to lasting peace, but the Palestinians have only seen internal division, occupation, oppression, abuse, violence and control. The role of the EU is important. We need to support and make demands. Time and again we have helped with infrastructure, but also seen it being destroyed.

Thank you, Madam President! People with disabilities face too many barriers. I learned how important it is to listen to them. Both from my time as chairman of the Danish Parliament's Social Affairs Committee in Denmark, but also as chairman of the Social Affairs Committee in Kolding. In the city council, how important it is to invite people with disabilities and their relatives to dialogue and hear their stories. We spent a year in dialogue. It was really well spent. This is where the barriers in the public space are addressed. And let me be clear - a disability should not determine whether you can go to the cinema, use public transport or use the canteen on your campus. Better accessibility in public spaces is crucial for the daily life and opportunities of individuals. We also have the same problem at European level. At EU level, one in five people with disabilities has left education before completing initial education. These figures underline that young people with disabilities face too many challenges in our education system. And that's not good enough. We must create a more inclusive and flexible education system, because with education comes employment and the right to an independent life. Thank you.

Madam President! Historically, it has always been a means of propaganda that if a lie was repeated often enough, it ended up being a truth. Therefore, it is important to say it as it is if information is a lie. And the master of misinformation is Vladimir Putin. Putin lied the day before his brutal invasion of Ukraine. Putin lied about the war he wouldn't call a war. Putin, like any autocratic, consistently lies to his own people and to the rest of the world, and his disinformation campaign is on full steam here in 2024. Most recently, we have seen it not only on the Ukrainian battlefields, but also in elections in Moldova, Georgia and Romania, which have been discussed earlier today. There are even members of this Parliament who are even playing Putin's game and repeating Putin's lies. Fortunately, we have a political majority that refuses to play that game. We must make every effort to protect what we love: the free society with the right to criticism, democracy free from threats and manipulations and the free media. This is our common bulwark.

Madam President! Natural disasters, as we see these years, are not natural. It is the result of not taking serious action against the destruction of climate and nature. People die and lose everything in extreme weather conditions. It's terrible, but it's also predictable. This year has been the toughest we've seen. The future is getting even more violent. Of course, we need to help people and areas that are suddenly in the midst of disaster. We need to help with urgent needs and we need to help with reconstruction. On the Green side, we therefore support the proposal. We must always show solidarity with those affected by the disaster. However, we must remember the background to the funds that are now to be used for natural disasters. We must prevent and reduce poverty and help people in vulnerable situations. We must ensure a just green transition where no one is left on the platform. And we need to slow down – yes, stop the climate catastrophe. We do this with ambitious climate action and nature restoration. Remember that!

Madam President! Children need security, for fundamental rights to food, to health, to a place to live and to go to school, to be allowed to play and to be protected from violence. Not all children have these rights. The many dead, maimed and orphaned children in Gaza have no rights. The same is true in Ukraine and Sudan, where there are also a lot of people who are affected by trauma. I could go on. Even in the rich north, our children and grandchildren are threatened by an uncertain future of rising inequality, devastating climate change and war. The greatest threat to a good child's life is to grow up in poverty. There are 20 million children in Europe. Children living in poverty do not have the same opportunities as other children. Historically, we have many children and young people with mental health challenges, probably due to war, because of climate threats and because of the Internet. Children should also be protected from family violence. I proposed this in the Danish Parliament in 2008 and it was adopted, only with opposition from the right wing. I am a very proud father of this proposal.

Madam President! After yesterday's discussion, it needs to be stressed that the conflict is older than the horrific attack on innocent Israelis, which can only be condemned without reservation, and all sorts of sympathy for the victims and their families. Nothing on this earth justifies the killing of civilians. This is also the case in Gaza, where more than 40 000 people have been killed. Many more bodies are buried under the rubble. In the West Bank, the murder rate is at a record high. It hurts Palestinian families just as much when they lose loved ones in a totally disproportionate attack that Israel has been carrying out now for almost a year in Gaza and the West Bank – and now also with the spread to Lebanon. We stare into an abyss of unimaginable suffering, unimaginable horror and hopelessness. The death toll will certainly increase further in the near future, not only because of bombardments and war, but also because of a lack of everything to sustain life, food, clean water, medicine and hospitals. We need to take steps to force an end to fighting and to secure a ceasefire and humanitarian aid. If this madness is to end, even greater pressure is needed, both on the current Israeli government, Hamas and Hezbollah. They are all an obstacle to peace. If this vicious circle of hatred and extremism is to be broken, it must be done with external pressure and there are more possibilities. There is the possibility of stopping the purchase of goods produced in illegal occupations, the possibility of sanctions against ministers and high-ranking officials and military personnel, and the possibility of considering suspending parts of the Association Agreement. We must act for peace.