German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed strong disapproval of JD Vance's recent speech, calling it "not acceptable." Vance criticized European nations for restricting free speech and likened their actions to those of authoritarian regimes. Pistorius emphasized that such comparisons do not reflect the Europe he knows, reiterating his stance that Vance's remarks were inappropriate.
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@CollinRugg - Collin Rugg
JUST IN: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius starts whining about JD Vance's speech, says it was "not acceptable."
Looks like Vance's speech was a success.
The whining came after Vance ripped European nations for criminalizing free speech and acting like tyrants.
"If I understood him correctly, he compares the condition of Europe with the condition that prevails in some authoritarian regimes."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is not acceptable. This is not acceptable. This is not the Europe where I live."
Video Transcript AI Summary
I must address the US Vice President's recent speech questioning the state of European democracy. His comparison of Europe to authoritarian regimes is unacceptable. In our democracy, every opinion is heard, even those of extremist parties. We even allow media that spread Russian propaganda.
However, democracy doesn't mean a minority dictates truth, nor does it allow unchecked speech. We defend our democracy daily against internal and external threats. I strongly disagree with the Vice President's suggestion that our democracies oppress minorities. We know what we defend: democracy, freedom of opinion, the rule of law, and the dignity of all.
Unlike the Vice President, I want to focus on European and transatlantic security. Recent events confirm the US is pushing for a quick peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine, expecting Europe to secure any resulting agreement.
Speaker 0: This is why I cannot just ignore what we heard before. I cannot not comment on the speech we heard by The US Vice President. We fight for your right to be against us. That is the motto one of the mottoes of the Bundeswehr, and it stands for our democracy. This democracy that was just called into question by The US Vice President, and not just the German democracy, but Europe as a whole, he spoke of the annulment of democracy.
And if I understood him correctly, he compares the condition of Europe with the condition that prevails in some auto authoritarian regimes. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not acceptable. This is not acceptable. This is not the Europe, not the democracy where I live and where I conduct my election campaign right now. And this is not the democracy that I witness every day in our parliament.
In our democracy, every opinion has a voice, and it makes it possible for parties that are partly extremists such as the AfD, and they can campaign just as any other party. This is democracy. And if the vice president had the opportunity to switch on his TV set when he arrived last, yesterday, he would have seen one of those in Primetime TV. By the way, we even admit media that spread Russian propaganda and the representatives of the federal government answer their questions. Nobody is excluded.
But democracy does not mean that a vociferous minority will automatically be right, and they cannot decide what truth is. It does not mean that anyone can say anything, and democracy must be able to defend itself against extremists that try to destroy it. I am happy to live in Europe where this democracy is defended every day against its internal and external enemies. And therefore, I would like to explicitly contradict and oppose the impression that vice president Vance suggested here that our democracies oppress and silence minorities. We not only know against whom we defend our countries, but also what we defend it for.
It's for democracy, for freedom of opinion, for the rule of law, and the dignity of each and every one, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 1: Ladies, ladies and gentlemen, but unlike the vice president, I would also like to focus my speech on the most pressing questions of European and transatlantic security. The last days have confirmed what many had speculated for months. The United States are pushing for a quick peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine, and they expect Europe to take the lead in securing any agreement that follows.
