What Salima spoke about.

14

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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Chinese government crackdown on the peaceful protests across the People's Republic of China

Madam President, "we will ease COVID-19 restrictions" is a very good promise from the Chinese government, which in reality hides the strengthening of repression against all forms of dissent. We have now been witnessing historical events for three weeks. History by mass: thousands and thousands of protesters, whom we support, taking to the streets of at least 27 cities in China. History by content:…

13

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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Implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, of course we will be by your side, as you know. We will be at your side to encourage, to work, but also to issue constructive criticism, as you know, and to follow up on concrete actions. So you can count on us. To return to the issue, it is clear that we are committed to the protection of cultural heritage. Instruments are not prohibited, they are subject to authorisat…

13

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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Implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen: “If I had to do it again, I would start with culture.” This apocryphal phrase by Jean Monnet perfectly sums up the spirit of my report. Culture is, and must continue to be, the foundation of our European project. Culture allows us to communicate, express ourselves and understand others. It is a vehicle for authentic emotions and allows us to get to…

22

Nov

2022

FR Speech

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Promoting regional stability and security in the broader Middle East region (debate)

Madam President, the European Parliament badly needed to update its position on the situation in the Middle East in order to push for a more coherent and ambitious European policy in the region. I welcome the important passages on human rights, the rights of women and LGBT communities, freedom of the press, the pervasive nature of mass surveillance technologies, etc. These key concerns must be at …

20

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Cultural solidarity with Ukraine and a joint emergency response mechanism for cultural recovery in Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I will not stop repeating that culture is essential for all peoples. It carries values, heritage, heritage, wealth, identities. It is therefore essential that the European Union preserves and supports culture, at all times and everywhere, and especially in times of war. The cultural sector is still one of the most affected by conflicts or author…

5

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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The Dutch childcare benefit scandal, institutional racism and algorithms (debate)

Mr President, two points. First, racism, the scourge left to the exploitation of right-wing extremes. In September 2021, the Commission unveiled an action plan to combat racism. We saw the plan, not the actions. Mrs. Dalli, when's the real deal? Second, institutional and systematic racism caused or reinforced by algorithms and ethnic profiling. I have alerted colleagues, in vain, to these risks. I…

4

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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The death of Mahsa Amini and the repression of women's rights protesters in Iran (debate)

Mr President, Mahsa Amini, 22, died in Tehran. Death from the brutality of the morality police for a strand of hair that went beyond her scarf. A feminist shockwave spread in Iran and around the world, as in Afghanistan, where women were also demonstrating. A revolt led by Iranian women, accompanied by men and children in the face of this dictatorship that violates their rights, oppresses and kill…

4

May

2022

FR Speech

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Reports of continued organ harvesting in China

Madam President, the synopsis of this thriller would speak of crimes, the black market, trafficking, demands and offers, shortages and organs. The main actors would be brokers of a very particular kind, political prisoners, wealthy cynical foreigners, the Chinese state, members of the Uyghur and Tibetan minorities. Wait, don’t take out popcorn and cold drinks right away, it’s neither a new series …

4

May

2022

FR Speech

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Use of the Pegasus Software by EU Member States against individuals including MEPs and the violation of fundamental rights (topical debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, we used to see Pegasus as the stallion alongside the Greek heroes, a symbol of courage. Today, the winged horse is more like the Trojan horse. Devious, shameful, Pegasus infiltrates our phones, our Parliament, our democratic lives. Tools like Pegasus are designed for very specific and regulated purposes, for example in the context of counterterrorism. There is absolutel…

5

Apr

2022

FR Speech

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Outcome of the EU-China Summit (1 April 2022) (debate)

Mr President, Mr High Representative, the EU-China summit was unfortunately a genuine dialogue of the deaf. Beijing refuses Brussels' outstretched hand to work together for a solution and pressure Putin to stop this barbarism. Europe has come with its questions and China with its answers, yet China so often prides itself on being a peaceful state and having a defensive rather than an aggressive st…

7

Mar

2022

FR Speech

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Role of culture, education, media and sport in the fight against racism (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, first of all, I would like to thank my colleagues Peter Pollák, Ibán García, Marcos Ros Sempere, Monica Semedo, Niyazi Kizilyürek and all our teams for their cooperation over the past few months. ‘Daddy, what is racism?’ ‘Racism is a fairly widespread behaviour, common to all societies, which has, alas, become commonplace, because sometimes we do not realise it. Common,…

16

Feb

2022

FR Speech

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One youth, one Europe (topical debate)

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Mr Secretary of State, the European Year of Youth is supposed to be an inclusive year, which not only celebrates young people, but requires their active contribution. After two years of sacrifices and challenges related to the pandemic, I am delighted that our young people are now looking to the European Union with hope. They entrust them with their economic and so…

15

Feb

2022

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EU-Africa relations (debate)

Madam President, High Representative, the AU-EU Summit must be an opportunity to renew the Africa-Europe partnership. Our young people share a quest for meaning, the need for freedom, mobility, hope and fair redistribution, a concern about climate change, but also a shared history and its share of gaping wounds. They deserve a real political dialogue, not a lot of small initiatives here and there,…

20

Jan

2022

FR Speech

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Empowering European Youth: post-pandemic employment and social recovery (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Secretary of State, dear European youth, whom I put in the plural. Unemployment, inappropriate working conditions, mental health: Social and economic difficulties are not new to our young people. The pandemic only exacerbates problems that already existed. Designating 2022 as the European Year of Youth is a first signal that we have already launched, with the ambitious …

19

Jan

2022

FR Speech

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Violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong

Mr President, Commissioner, 'I believe in the power and strength of words,' Malala said. Words scare dictatorships, they fear those who use them: political oppositions, journalists, artists, students, teachers, children who ask too many questions, films that open new horizons... Today, in Hong Kong, those deemed too critical are harassed, intimidated and thrown into prison. Today, in Hong Kong, th…

14

Dec

2021

FR Speech

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European Year of Youth 2022 (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, I welcome the rapporteur and my fellow shadow rapporteurs for the work we have done together to finally declare 2022 the European Year of Youth. I started these negotiations with one goal in mind: that this Year is not a communication exercise, a festival here, a conference there where politicians repeat that our youth is a source of inspiration, the future of Europe an…

20

Oct

2021

FR Speech

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The rise of right-wing extremism and racism in Europe (in light of recent events in Rome) (debate)

Madam President, on 2 July: Orbán, Le Pen, Salvini and other far-right leaders sign a declaration to ‘reform Europe’. 23-24 September: Orbán unrolls the red carpet at a summit in Budapest. 9 October: Forza Nuova party leaders incite the mob to violence in Rome. 8-9 October: In our Parliament, during the EYE event, young Europeans from minorities are harassed, their workshops disrupted by other you…

19

Oct

2021

FR Speech

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Situation in Tunisia (debate)

Madam President, Mr High Representative, since July we have been following political developments closely: introduction of a state of emergency with no end date, concentration of all powers in the hands of the President, suspension of Parliament and the 2014 Constitution, house arrests, bans on leaving the country, military court to try civilians, NGO alerts. Since July, we have been worried. Sinc…

18

Oct

2021

FR Speech

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Order of business

Madam President, I asked for this point today, because I wanted to bring to your attention some very serious facts that occurred ten days ago during the European Youth Event in Strasbourg, here in our institution. Unfortunately – and this is not the first time – groups of young people from diverse backgrounds have been targeted by verbal abuse and hate speech online. Their workshops on inclusion a…

15

Sep

2021

FR Speech

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Media freedom and further deterioration of the Rule of law in Poland (debate)

Madam President, once again, we meet to talk about the rule of law and media freedom in Poland. And once again, a resolution that is likely to remain a dead letter. We talked about the state of the Union this morning. The silencing of the media, the repression of any democratic dissent, journalists banned from covering a new humanitarian crisis at the Belarusian border with the declaration of a st…

15

Sep

2021

FR Speech

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State of the Union (debate)

Mr President, Mrs von der Leyen, Jean Monnet wrote that humans accept change only in necessity and see necessity only in crisis. The need is present, so are the crises. So, Mrs von der Leyen, it is time for change, but above all for boldness and courage. Take the European project head-on. Listen, dare, propose, listen again, repeat, repropose, dare even more and, I would say, surprise yourself and…

14

Sep

2021

FR Speech

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Situation in Lebanon (debate)

Madam President, Lebanon, which was called Middle Eastern Switzerland yesterday, continues its descent into hell. This summer, a sanctions regime was put in place by the Council to target in a targeted manner the Lebanese officials who looted the country. This is a first step, but it is not enough yet. Setting up a sanctions framework is good. Implementing it is much better. Two weeks ago, a repre…

14

Sep

2021

FR Speech

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Situation in Afghanistan (debate)

Madam President, Mr High Representative, 'Return to normalcy in Afghanistan' can be read in the newspapers. The UN would be disappointed by the lack of women in the Taliban government... I think I'm dreaming. Are we so naive? For students who do not have the right to learn together, is this a return to normality? For girls forced into marriage and raped, is this a return to normal? For the murdere…

8

Jul

2021

FR Speech

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Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily

Mr President, what could be more classic for a dictatorship than accusing critics of working for foreign forces, even when critics come from within, from their own civil society, from their own journalists? Molière wrote: "Who wants to drown his dog accuses him of rabies." This is the case in Hong Kong with the dramatic disappearance of the pro-democracy daily Apple Daily, accused of "conspiracy a…

7

Jul

2021

FR Speech

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Breaches of EU law and of the rights of LGBTIQ citizens in Hungary as a result of the adopted legal changes in the Hungarian Parliament - The outcome of 22 June hearings under Article 7(1) of the TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (debate)

Mr President, on Monday, Reporters Without Borders published its 2021 gallery of ‘Predators of Press Freedom’, with for the first time a European, Viktor Orbán, alongside 36 other Heads of State and Government, Mr Putin, Mr Xi, Mr Erdoğan and Mr bin Salman. What a shame, what a sadness for Europe to have a European on this dark list! In Poland, civil society is also very concerned about the govern…