Speeches

Mr President, for those of you who constantly search for racism where it is not, hear this out: in Sudan, ethnically motivated violence against non‑Arab people is happening on a scale that is hard to comprehend. Survivors speak about seeing piles of dead bodies in what they describe as an apocalyptic scene like the Day of Judgement, they said. We are not talking about mean comments online, which in themselves are enough to make some of you want to censor the entire internet. We are talking about mass atrocities committed on people based on the fact that they are black. This cannot and must not be swept under the carpet simply because the aggressor does not look a certain way. The ethnic violence in Sudan is a stain on humanity.

Mr President, religious cleansing is under way in north‑east Syria. After Bashar al-Assad's fall, we were promised a new Syria. However, the extrajudicial executions, destruction of property and deliberate attacks carried out by extremist Islamist groups in the Syrian transitional government speak a climate of open religious hostility. This is unacceptable. The Kurdish people have been among our most reliable partners in the fight against ISIS. They have defended not only their freedom, but Europe's security as well. Yet the silence in Europe is deafening. Europe must stand for clear principles: the protection of civilians and zero tolerance for terrorism. The Syrian transitional government that engages in ethnic and religious violence must not be granted legitimacy.

Mr President, the word of Russia is worth less than the toilet paper we wipe ourselves with. So when Russia promised to enter into a so-called 'energy ceasefire' with Ukraine at the end of January, only a stupid person could not have guessed what would happen next. Four days later, the Russian war machine struck again. Make no mistake, the brave Ukrainians had no misgivings about the sincerity of Russia's commitment to this 'ceasefire'. You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth. You must fight and hit back. And that is why it is so painful to see some of you in this Chamber, still waffling on what to do about Putin's rampage. History will judge you if you choose to let the tiger continue its spree of terror.

Dear Mr President, Europe is in chaos. The only reason for this is the uncontrolled migration that has been going on for years. It's a point. In the Helsinki metropolitan area, more than half of the population in certain areas is of foreign origin. The most depressing thing, however, is that compared to the European peer countries, Finland is still doing relatively well, at least for the time being. The great countries of Europe are already being lost. Germany is not going back to the past, nor is France. Even the countries of the Middle East have awakened to this reality. The UAE is restricting its students' access to the UK because it fears that the Muslim Brotherhood has gained too much foothold in the UK. France and Britain will be able to compete over who will be Europe's first Islamic nuclear-weapon nation in a few decades. European decision-makers: You get what you order. Is that enough?

Madam President, imagine your daughter being arrested for not wearing a headscarf. Imagine your wife never returning from a protest, and you being forced to search through body bags. Imagine the internet shut down, losing contact with your son abroad and being left completely alone. If you step into the streets, you do not know whether others are still protesting in other cities or whether you are simply walking out to be killed. This is the daily reality for Iranians, while here they receive only lukewarm words of encouragement. And yet they continue to march against our common enemy. They do not ask much of us. From our warm halls, only with decisions on paper can we help: stronger sanctions, visa bans on the families of oppressors, trade embargoes, terrorist designation and an invitation to hear their voice, Reza Pahlavi.

Mr President, the Iranians have risen up bravely against their torturers. For 46 years, the nation has been occupied by an Islamist dictatorship. They have been brutalised, murdered, and for too long have their crimes gone unheard. Not anymore. What we are seeing in Iran is a revolution that will change the world. Also, the EU needs to act swiftly: ‑ Stop the appeasement policy, tighten sanctions and isolate the regime that executes its own people. ‑ Proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. ‑ Stop trade with Iran. ‑ Listen to the Iranian people and invite Mr Reza Pahlavi to address this parliament ‑ the man whose name the people chant in the streets of Iran. ‑ Coordinate attacks with the US to weaken the regime to collapse. We can either forever be seen as traitors and hypocrites, or we can help the Iranians rid themselves of this regime.

Mr President, the Commission has once again visibly taken Elon Musk and the X-someplate to its teeth. More specifically, it blamed X’s Grok AI for being able to create images of underdressed people. X reacted quickly and said he was changing his service - that's good. But I ask, why is there only Musk and X in the headlines again? Is the Commission aware that similar images may have been made, inter alia, through the application offered by ChatGPT? When the Commission openly starts tampering with only one platform that has repeatedly been on its teeth, it raises questions. The Commission is a major power. It's so big it's supposed to be searching before it starts messing around. Keep this in mind: It is not your job to fight Elon Musk.

Mr President, when I started as a Member of the European Parliament, I thought that the European Parliament would be the one that would specifically oppose the Commission's federal fanaticism. How wrong I was. I am now reading direct excerpts from the European Parliament's report on the initiative for common EU company legislation: "Parliament stresses that Member States should not be able to maintain or introduce in their national law provisions derogating from common EU company law." "Parliament calls on the Commission to assess the benefits of a single framework, including on tax issues, as part of common company law." I ask you, dear colleagues, in the middle and on the left, when will this EU bowing of yours end? When will this dissolution of nation-states end? The more Member States are oppressed, the louder you shout here, 'Yes, thank you.' You're just EU masochists.

Mr President, sexual harassment is an abuse of power. All its forms are reprehensible. Let's start with the facts and Spain, which we are discussing today. Fact number one: The Spanish socialists have built their political identity on zero tolerance, equality and moral superiority, but in their own structures harassment has been commonplace. Then move on to the European level. Fact number two: This is what we don't want to talk about here. Immigrants from developing countries are overrepresented in sex crime statistics across Europe. Fact number 3: The consequences of the avalanche of migrants have been catastrophic, especially for women's safety. Ladies and gentlemen, ultimately, each country is a reflection of its own population. If we bring the Third World way of life into our own structures, we cannot be surprised when sexual harassment increases.

Mr President, how dare you parties on the left and centre talk about the rule of law? How dare you portray yourselves as the arbiter of what the rule of law is? You have shown time and time again that you are willing to accept even the most blatant violations as long as the victims are your political adversaries. Banning the most popular party in Germany – why not? Go for it! Arresting people and confiscating their electronics if they post something online that might hurt somebody's feelings – disperse, nothing to see here! Imposing massive fines on social media companies because they do not peddle the agenda that you want – oh wait, you support that too. Your hypocrisy is astounding, and you should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves.

Mr President, the clock is ticking for Europe. According to the European Defence Agency, EU defence spending reached 1.9 % of GDP in 2024 and may finally exceed NATO’s 2 % target in 2025. You heard right: may exceed NATO’s 2 % target in 2025. It’s ridiculous that it has taken over 10 years to reach a target that is now outdated, while the new benchmark is 5 %. Look at Finland or Poland after the war started in Ukraine: a sharp increase in defence spending. This proves that when there is political will, it is possible. Europe needs sovereign states that are willing – and able – to invest in their own security. That is the path to real security. Europe cannot deter or defend anything in 2030 if we cannot already produce and deploy in 2025.

Mr President, let me offer an example from Finland when discussing the grids package and energy infrastructure. We have not been waiting for EU-level strategies. We have been investing heavily in our own capacity, including nuclear power. Today, we are very close to full annual self-sufficiency when it comes to electricity. Our main grid transmission reliability rate is almost 100 %. This has not happened because Madam Ursula designed a grand plan, but because we took responsibility. This is the point. Strong national investments work. Finland doesn't want to pay other countries' electricity bills. What the EU needs is Member States with their own critical infrastructure funded by themselves – not centralised communist plans.

My colleague, Trump is only talking to Russia because Europe is so weak that it has not invested in its defence. If we had invested in defence, Europe would be involved in the negotiations. You condemned the defence arms race in Europe. This is exactly what Trump and Putin want to see in Europe. When Russia spends 40% of its budget on the military industry, should Europe not invest in defence?

Mr President, Europe must finally start to realise the true gravity of our dismal defence readiness. It is a matter of life and death. The fact that the eligibility for research and innovation funding will now be extended to European defence companies is a big step in the right direction. I think that the fact that we even have to take this kind of decision now shows how lost most of the politicians in Europe have been in the past. If our security has not been worth our research and innovation funding, may I ask what has been more important? Actually, there is another good thing about this regulatory change: when EU funding is flowing to industries that actually matter, it won't be going to areas to which EU money should not be going in the first place.

Mr President, Marseille, France, is in chaos. Drug gangs have taken over the city, they incite fear, recruit younger and younger people, and shootings have become commonplace. Unfortunately, by European standards, the development of the city is quite familiar. Like many other major European cities, Marseille has a large immigrant population and, less surprisingly, has faced major challenges. Failure to address the problems adequately has led to the emergence of parallel societies. Rules and Europe are giving way to turmoil. People are brutally killed. The so-called "barbecue" is one of the typical ways drug gangs exploit lives: First they shoot, then they set the body on fire. Ladies and gentlemen, we are losing Europe one city at a time. Is it time to wake up?

Madam President, dear colleague Langensiepen, it is truly offensive when you shout out from the podium calling this side fascists. My brother has Down syndrome. In Finland, the laws allow abortion almost up to the fifth month, but people like my brother or those with deformities can be aborted even a month later. What message does this send to these people? Well, that they are not equal. And this is something you Greens have supported in Finland, even though we on the right have many times demanded that this be corrected. You on the green left, have been the most active in promoting the screening of children in the womb and afterwards allowing abortion if the disabled child is not desirable. That is the purification of humankind into one kind and that is fascism. And also, my colleague Langensiepen, even if one was a person with a disability, it does not have to mean that they have a disability in manners.