Speeches

Madam President, Yes, people are insecure – they are afraid of war and authoritarianism. They want freedom and security. But the danger is not only from foreign oligarchs such as Musk or Russia, but also from local oligarchs, who are accumulating more and more assets and thus concentrating power and currently also crying out for military readiness. Currently, the demands are overturning: Trump calls for 5 percent rearmament with the AfD, that is, half of the German budget. The Greens are demanding 150 billion euros for military equipment, and the NATO Secretary General says: This requires cuts in pensions and social benefits. But the truth is: Massive rearmament has never prevented war. Militarism does not lead to security, but to the dismantling of democratic rights, strengthens authoritarians and the readiness for war. We need security and freedom – this is possible in social security, this is possible with an active peace policy. We don't need barbarism.

(Start of speech when microphone is switched off) ... that you allow the question. I know you don't put so much emphasis on facts, so I'd like to ask you briefly about your feeling. How does it actually feel for nationalists and fascists like the AfD to finance the election campaign in the tow of US elites and get support from Elon Musk? The second is: In recent years, you have presented yourself as if you were in favour of peace, but have currently demanded 5 percent rearmament in the Federal Republic of Germany alongside Donald Trump. Why do you actually do this, to act alongside the United States and not to stand up for sovereignty and peace? How do you sell it to citizens?

Mr President! Finally! This expression could be seen yesterday in the different faces in the different parts of the region – the joy of a ceasefire. But it took 15 months, and you have to ask: Why did it take so long? Why did the EU remain silent for so long or did some states like the Federal Republic even send weapons into this war? Why did so much blood have to be shed? So many children have been murdered, and those children who have not died say they want to die, according to a study – every second child in Gaza is so traumatised, you have to imagine. And just a few hours before the ceasefire began, Netanyahu again gave the order to bomb. Children were murdered again. All these war crimes, ladies and gentlemen, must be condemned. And Netanyahu has also said that he doesn't want lasting peace. This can't be done. We don't need a ceasefire, we need a permanent ceasefire, and for that we need justice for the Palestinians. We must finally recognize Palestine within the 1967 borders. Member States must do so if they are serious about a two-state solution.

Thank you, Mrs. Bentele, for allowing us to ask. Did I understand you correctly? You think this ceasefire agreement is a pact with the devil because illegally detained Palestinians have also been released. What would you rather have been? That the bloodshed continues? How many more people should have died so you wouldn't be so cynical? Can I assume that you are on the line of your party leader, Mr. Merz, who has even accused the traffic light government, which has always delivered more and more weapons, of not sending enough weapons to war? Isn't that cynical? Don't be ashamed of it...

Mr President! Dear colleagues! Did you notice? From the outside right, but also the liberals and the Union, almost no one is involved in this debate on collective agreements and the strengthening of the rights of trade unions. I think this attitude already illustrates a lot about the policies of these parties. And yes, of course – it is precisely in these times that trade union rights and workers’ rights need to be strengthened. The truth is that the rights of employees are getting more and more under the wheel, especially in times of crisis. Record dividends to shareholders and corporate owners, and colleagues who are currently worried about their jobs. More and more people are working and have real wage losses with rising prices. Something needs to be done about this, Commissioner. The truth, however, is that the turn of the century is accompanied by attacks on the right to strike. The truth is that the calls to the workers are getting louder and louder to moderate themselves. But when do the calls come to the employers that they finally have to participate fairly? When will workers' rights and social concerns finally come to the fore in the EU? Commissioner, when you talk about social partnership, I ask you to refer to workers' rights and not to the interests of corporate owners. Because if you mean the second, it's...

Madam President, In war, the truth dies first: This statement expresses what applies in every war, without exception. This also applies to Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as to European or NATO wars in the past. Disinformation, half-truths and narratives that are built to legitimize one's own actions and to sell them to the population as necessary, at least to calm them down. But colleagues, wars are nothing more than barbarism. On the other hand, a strong peace movement is needed. And this strong peace movement is needed in Russia, yes, but it also needs it here. Their story is that the war has fallen from the sky. Any reference to NATO's role in this war is defamatory. They pretend that NATO is a lamb of innocence. What is the prehistory of the war? It is part of the fact that there were negotiations between the US and Russia about Ukraine. This includes NATO's eastward expansion. Dear colleagues, these statements in no way legitimize Russia's war, but they help; Talk about the context, helps, to find a solution. But it presupposes that you want one. With you, I doubt that you even want a solution to an end to the war. They prefer to upgrade in the EU...

Thank you very much, Mrs. Strack-Zimmermann, for allowing the request. I would say that the war-torn peoples of Syria have a longing for freedom, equality, democracy, peace and justice. It is true that in Syria not only great powers such as Russia or the USA have been raging for decades, but also Israel has been acutely bombing and Turkey is sending the jihadists against the progressive forces in Rojava, against the Kurds. The Federal Republic of Germany is the country in Europe – above all with a participation of your party in the government – which has been supplying arms to Israel for months without exception and is also proud of it; And it is the country that once again delivered 250 million euros in arms in October. Ms. Strack-Zimmermann, how do you want to contribute to sustainable peace in this way? With weapons in the region certainly not, right?

Madam President, Disasters, floods, climate killers – that is what defines our everyday lives. Yes, and on the other hand, there is a need for strong civil protection and prevention. But what comes to your mind again? In order to militarize this area now, talk about the fact that you now also want to talk to trade unions. In collective bargaining rounds, however, call out to colleagues and workers – curb yourself! After decades of yelling for cuts in all areas of life, colleagues, say now: We also need to militarize all areas of life. Imagine: Last year, the Federal Government cut civil protection in the Federal Republic of Germany. And now the Federal Republic of Germany is calling for a discussion of 4% of GDP for rearmament. All you're talking about is armament and militarization. You want to be capable of war. Colleagues, what we need is social security. You can't do that against the climate killer. In this way, you cannot actually counteract disasters preventively. We really want to advance civil protection.

Thank you, dear colleague, for this request, it only seems a little ridiculous to a person with my biography. I come from Turkey, I come from a religious minority in Turkey, I have Kurdish roots, and I fight with many people here for democracy and freedom. I know that in this region in the Middle East, many people are also fighting for democracy and freedom. But the bitter truth is that, of course, countries on the European continent have also repeatedly interfered in the Middle East in the past. The bitter truth is that even forces such as the Al Qaeda At that time, the United States was strengthened in its struggle with the Soviet Union. That's why we, as the Left, say: We on the left are always and everywhere fighting for democracy and freedom. The Islamists are not my brothers in spirit, but your brothers in spirit.

Mr President! Women's rights are an indicator of the state of societies, according to the guidelines of the feminist foreign policy of the German Foreign Minister Baerbock. It goes on to state that: Access to education and financial resources are unevenly distributed, which is why feminist foreign policy combines principles with a pragmatic approach. How pragmatic, one can actually see at the Hau-Ruck border sealing and at the deportations of the German Federal Government these days. Deportations to Afghanistan, where 23 million people are starving, to the only country where girls are only allowed to go to school until sixth grade, to the country where women are not allowed to speak publicly, have to cover up completely, have no right to health care. After 20 years of NATO bombing Afghanistan, ostensibly to fight for women’s rights and against the Taliban, they now want to negotiate rapid deportations with this very Taliban. That's cynical. Yes, women's rights are a yardstick for societies, but obviously also an arbitrarily used pawn of the prevailing politics – at least that's what some people think. We won't let that happen. We say: Women, life, freedom – always and everywhere – solidarity and human rights!

Madam President, "Essentially, we are mowning the lawn, but the time will come when we will also tear down the roots," Israeli Defense Minister Galant told military representatives on 4 September, referring to Israel's actions in the West Bank. What is yet another announcement for the West Bank is already brutal policy and reality of the Israeli army in Gaza. Not only hospitals, the entire infrastructure, homes were destroyed, but also 80% of all educational institutions. Not a single university has Gaza anymore. If you want to deprive a nation, an identity of any future and past, then you destroy its cultural sites, destroy its educational institutions. Nothing else is done by Israel. For a year now, Israel's genocidal war against the Palestinian people has been underway. For a year now, Germany has been building the narrative that it would be a legitimate war against Hamas. There is no Hamas in the West Bank. The German government has a co-responsibility with the innumerable arms deliveries to the Israeli army. History and peoples will...

(Start of speech with microphone switched off) ... now that you have again used two narratives – the first is to the left, which is actually unbearable – I wanted to ask you why you think that you can still defame every voice for peace as an understanding Putin and a Putinist. Have you not noticed that in the Federal Republic of Germany a majority of the population now says that it is enough? The course of traffic lights, the course that you have repeatedly represented in the Federal Republic of Germany, especially in the Technical Committee, is not shared. How long will you defame any opinion other than your own as a Putin understander, Mrs. Strack-Zimmermann? How long do you want to defame people? Do you think you'll get support?

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, billions – tens of billions – have been invested in weapons and sent to Ukraine. A wave of militarism was launched. For example, Germans train Ukrainian soldiers. With the calls for the battlefield, even parties such as the Greens, who once called themselves the Peace Party, are attuned to the chorus of militarism. But the ongoing demand for more and more weapons and ammunition for Ukraine will not decide the war in favor of Ukraine, it will not bring more security to Europe. We have to face the realities: War means death, suffering, misery, destruction, yes, and devastation. And there is no solution on the battlefield – on the contrary. At the moment, Germany is discussing the possibility of deploying medium-range missiles. An arms race without end. Colleagues, we are at a point where we have to take a different direction. With more and more guns, there will be no solution. Calling now for Ukraine to be able to hit targets in the middle of Russia will not stop the spiral of escalation – on the contrary. The NATO countries are in a dilemma with their previous strategy. They know that Ukraine alone can no longer win this war. You all know that a few more guns won't do. Dear colleagues who are calling for the battlefield: Do you want NATO to intervene not only indirectly as before, but directly in this war? Do you really want World War III on the European continent? I firmly believe that the majority of the population does not want it, so stop! It needs a policy of détente, it needs a policy of peace. There will be a big demonstration in Berlin on October 3rd, and I would like to call on all people to take part in it. For the rulers do not understand that our desire, the desire of the workers and poor in Europe, is peace.

Madam President, I heard the terrible news and reported directly to my office manager. She and her family live in Solingen. She had left the place shortly before the assassination, friends and acquaintances were still there. An Islamist killed people, wounded many. I grieve for the victims, I feel for the relatives. Radical Islamists terrorize and kill people because they live and believe differently. They stir up fears and spread incitement. There is nothing to relativize about this. But these Islamists are brothers in the spirit of the European fascists, who also do nothing else. The traffic light now wants to reject refugees, deport them to solve the problem. I ask you: What do you want to do with the thousands of EU citizens who have participated in IS jihad in Syria? The Kurds have been appealing for years to the European states to bring these people back and rightfully condemn them; You're sitting this out. You are now pretending to take people's fears and worries seriously; But you don't. You don't want to get to the real causes. Or what do you do about wars to end or prevent them? Against the sponsors and donors of the jihadists? Nothing. You say the perpetrator of Solingen was a refugee in a refugee shelter, so you don't want to let anyone in now. This is dangerous, cheap controversy. Why were there cuts in deradicalisation measures, cuts in integration measures? Why are our cities and social infrastructure being bled to death? Yes, colleagues, we need perspectives, we need to take the problems seriously. But they all don't. Because those who take problems seriously are committed to peace, to social security. For a good life, there is also diversity.

Madam President, Even now, seven months after the war in Gaza, there have been some speeches here in parliament that really speak the language. That is why I want to say it very clearly: What we are witnessing in Gaza has nothing to do with self-defense. If houses, universities, hospitals are destroyed, 33,000 people are killed, if 1.5 million people are actually suffering from starvation, then what is happening there is nothing more than a massacre. If the U.S. has blocked a ceasefire in all these months and Germany and the U.S. have increased arms exports to Israel tenfold, then they actually have a co-responsibility for what is happening in Gaza right now. Some believe that Israel is the only democracy in the region. I want to say it clearly: We are dealing with an ultra-right-wing, reactionary government in Israel. We are not dealing with collateral damage or some small border crossings. We are dealing with brutal warfare aimed at actually preventing an independent Palestine and preventing any will of resistance on the part of the Palestinian population. That is why I say very clearly: If it is claimed here that we stand for a two-state solution, then steps must now finally be taken for an equal Palestine, and months must not be waited for. We need justice for the Palestinians. We need an immediate ceasefire... (The President withdrew the floor from the speaker)

Thank you, dear Erik, for allowing the demand. You are right about your comments and criticism of this migration pact. But I remember the Green Foreign Minister, after the agreement was reached, saying that this solution was overdue and urgently needed. I remember the Greens speaking out in favour of CEAS at their party conference. I think it is wonderful if you reject today, but the federal government and the green participation could have actually prevented this pact. How do you feel about that? What do you say to that? Because you're right: Today, the fundamental right to asylum is being buried, and today the wrongs that have existed and were illegal are being cast into law – that is the cynical thing about the whole situation. It is absolutely not a solution.

Mr President! Ms von der Leyen just said that Europe had to wake up and said: We need to be ready to upgrade more. We have to be ready to fight. That is why I would like to say and appeal to the peoples of Europe and say: Awake, peoples of this earth! Because it's days like this that make me very thoughtful. I remember days like this, the novel ‘In the West nothing new’, the scenes of the young men who went to war full of euphoria and then returned from the First World War a few years later, crippled and disillusioned. They are using noble words such as freedom, democracy, security to legitimize rearmament. Armament and war are just the opposite. Imperial wars are nothing more than the greatest barbarism. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, all you have to say is: Get ready! Get ready! Bigger, faster, higher, more! And what does that mean, please? Mr Macron even said yesterday that he had to play the new Napoleon and claim that we must have ground troops in Ukraine. What does this mean other than that the third world war is being prepared here? Dear colleagues! War is the opposite of security. The peoples of Europe long for social security. They want security. That's why I can only say: Peoples, we must actually fall into the arms of the warmongers here and actually build a strong peace movement against rearmament. Because it's about our future, about the future of our children.

Mr President! For years, the EU has been claiming that it stands for a two-state solution. But nothing has been done for a sovereign Palestine in recent years. Most Member States have not even recognised Palestine. For four months now, a brutal war has been raging against Gaza. Even during this debate here, death, suffering, destruction and devastation are taking their course in Gaza. For four months, the Netanyahu government has been making unacceptable statements. Palestine was equated with human animals. Netanyahu himself said there will be no sovereign Palestine anytime soon. This is unacceptable, ladies and gentlemen, and so are the double standards in Europe. Maoz Inon, an Israeli who lost his parents – both parents – on 7 October, appealed to the US and Germany at a peace rally in Israel in February, saying: Don't send us weapons, send us peace aid, because this government uses the weapons not only to dehumanize the Palestinians, but also to deprive us of our democratic rights. What do we answer him? What does Ms von der Leyen answer him, who has just pledged unconditional solidarity to the Israeli ultra-right government?

Mr President! The war in Ukraine has been going on for two years now, and one has the feeling in every debate here: Every day the marmot greets. Because in fact, the only thing you're calling for is the battlefield and the supply of weapons. But the war has its facts. It is clear that the offensive in Ukraine has failed, and yet you are calling for weapons. Let me tell you: Yes, of course, the Putin regime has the blood of the children in Ukraine glued to their own hands. But let me be honest: You too, Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Biden and Mr Johnson, do not have very clean hands, because in fact there were negotiations for a ceasefire. In fact, Mr. Zelenskyy stood here at the beginning and was in favour of a ceasefire. And NATO has said: Fight, boys, keep fighting, you fight for our freedom! And that is your cynicism, ladies and gentlemen! Why do you let the people of Ukraine die for your freedom, for your geopolitical interests and sell it to the people in solidarity with the attacked people? No, the men in Ukraine do not have the freedom to evade war at the moment. The women and children who are afraid for their families have no freedom to evade war. Finally do something for peace! This is solidarity. It's about human rights, it's about freedom. War is never freedom.

Madam President, While The Hague has ruled that South Africa's indictment is admissible because there are signs that could indicate genocide, the Federal Republic of Germany has increased arms deliveries to Israel tenfold. Mr Michel, you stood up and said: We as the EU stand for a two-state solution. But what does this commitment mean when a European member state can actually support Israeli action with arms deliveries? What does it mean if it is actually forbidden in the EU to supply weapons in war and crisis regions? Yes, peace seems to have become a foreign word here in the EU, not only with regard to Ukraine, but also with regard to its cynicism towards the Middle East conflict. They are now sending ships to the lakes there in the region, to the Red Sea, because three merchant ships were attacked. What kind of ceasefire do you do to prevent more people – children, women, mothers and fathers – from being murdered by Israel? What are you doing, Mr. Michel?

Mr President! The question of war or peace is usually a class question. As a rule, in war: Weapons deliver the rich and the poor the corpses. The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for 23 months now, and the US Chief of Staff, Mark Milley, said in autumn 2022 that Ukraine is unlikely to win this war on the battlefield. And yet the NATO countries have made one thing – said: ‘fight, boys, keep fighting’ and supplied weapons. Billions were put into weapons. I understand, ladies and gentlemen, that you want to raise the price of rival Russia. What you do is cynical. Let's look at the reality: It's a positional war. It goes 10 meters in one direction or the other. Meanwhile, thousands die on this battlefield, thousands of poor. And workers around the world are paying the price for this inner-imperial power struggle that is taking place there. And now the people of Ukraine are increasingly realizing that the solution is not on the battlefield. And what does the Zelenskyi government do? She discusses whether or not she may only oblige the men in Ukraine to go to this war who have a certain salary – to tie taxes to conscription, so to speak, that is cynical and this illustrates this class character of the war. No, there is an urgent need for a political solution and an end to the war, and the EU must contribute to this!

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Cross-border work is all too often abused for wage dumping. And there are also very often – Commissioner, you know that – unsustainable working conditions here. The tip of the iceberg was probably the truck drivers from Gräfenhausen. But we also saw it in the pandemic among the asparagus workers in Germany. Where law is abused and not respected, there must be control. We need to do two things: clearer rules for people who also work across borders, but also enforce control. Yes, there is the ELA. But the ELA could not actually do anything in the two examples I just mentioned. And Commissioner, the point now is that this lack of rights no longer exists. Workers have rights, regardless of whether or not they cross the border, whether or not they have a migrant background, or whether or not they are Europeans. Third-country nationals have that too. And that is exactly what we are calling for with this resolution.

Madam President, Yes, of course, the attacks of the Houthi militias on merchant ships in the Red Sea must be criticized. But anyone who sharply criticizes this and at the same time remains silent about Israel's crimes in Gaza is playing a hypocritical game and is not contributing to a sustainable solution in the region. And the US even blocked the demand for a ceasefire in Gaza in the UN Security Council. This is unacceptable! The current escalation in Yemen is a threat to the people there. And that's what not only a left-wing MP, Özlem Demirel, says, but also the IRC. Yes, we are talking about Yemen – a country where people who have been battered by war for nine years, where a humanitarian catastrophe exists. And this humanitarian catastrophe was also carried out with weapons. made in The EU is moving forward. And now the federal government in Germany says it also wants to deliver Eurofighter to Saudi Arabia. We need de-escalation. What is happening in the Middle East is exactly the wrong thing. It is contrary to the interests of the peoples of the world.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Christmas is just around the corner – a great time for many to look forward to. But we can't imagine how many families with children and adolescents this time is a challenge. Rising cost of living, rising food prices, horrendously high rents that eat up much of the income: This means uncertainty for many citizens in the European Union. Whether young or old, people can no longer make ends meet. The poor are pushed to the margins of society. The middle classes are eroding. Young people are afraid of the future. Meanwhile, I keep hearing speeches from Mrs von der Leyen in Parliament about how great this Commission is at mastering the crises. Discussions are currently taking place in the Federal Republic of Germany on how social benefit systems can be cut down. No, colleagues! Anyone who takes the concerns and needs of the citizens seriously invests in a social infrastructure, not in rearmament and war. He invests in apartments, affordable for everyone.