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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said his country won’t accept people who “intervene in our democracy”, a day after US Vice President JD Vance criticised European leaders.
ADVERTISEMENTIn a speech on Saturday morning, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his stance against the far right and said Germany will not accept people who “intervene in our democracy”, a day after US Vice President JD Vance met with the AfD leader and criticised European leaders.Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Vance criticised European governments’ approach to democracy and said he fears free speech across the continent is “in retreat”.He claimed that many Americans saw in Europe “entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election.”Vance said he was not as concerned about Russia or China in terms of Europe’s security as much as he was about a “threat from within – a retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”On the sidelines of the event, Vance met with Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, nine days before the German election.In a longstanding stance to shun the extreme right in a country scarred by Nazism, mainstream German parties say they won’t work with the AfD.Scholz reaffirmed that “never again” is a historical mandate that Germany must and wants to uphold – never again fascism, racism, or war of aggression. He sharply criticised the AfD, noting that some members of the party had referred to Nazi crimes as a mere “bird shit” in history. He made it clear that the principle of never again is incompatible with supporting or aligning with the AfD.Scholz further responded to Vance’s comments by saying “Germany is a very strong democracy, and as a strong democracy, we are absolutely clear that the extreme right should be out of political control and out of political decision making processes, and that there will be no cooperation with them.””We really reject any idea of cooperation between parties, other parties and this extreme right parties.”Alluding to rules in Germany that restrict hate speech, he said that “free speech in Europe means that you are not attacking others in ways that are against legislation and laws we have in our country.”The back and forth between Scholz and Vance came as European leaders have been trying to make sense of a tough new line from Washington on issues including democracy and Ukraine’s future, as the Trump administration continues to upend trans-Atlantic conventions that have been in place since after World War II.Supporting Ukraine ‘for as long as necessary’On Ukraine, Scholz reiterated a shared goal: preserving Ukraine’s independence. He stressed that nothing should be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine’s involvement, and defended ongoing talks that now include both Ukraine and Russia.The commitment to supporting Ukraine “for as long as necessary” does not end when the fighting stops, he added. Scholz also made clear that Ukraine must be backed in a way that prevents future aggression and emphasised that Ukraine cannot stand alone and requires continued support from both the EU and the US, noting that the US and Germany remain its largest supporters.US President Donald Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in which he said the two leaders would likely meet soon to negotiate a peace deal over Ukraine. Trump later assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he, too, would have a seat at the table.On Friday, the Ukrainian leader said that his country wants security guarantees before any talks with Russia. Shortly before meeting with Vance in Munich, Zelenskyy said he will only agree to meet in-person with Putin after a common plan is negotiated with Trump.
