Nicolaus Fest, March 8, 2022, Poland, Hungary and Refugees

European Parliament, Strasbourg, P9 CRE-PROV(2022)03-08(2-149-0000).

Frau President. Frau Johansson. Frau Klinkert.

You have said that the EU had acted rapidly and effectively. Na ja, so to say; applying a guideline is certainly not what is understood as rapid and effective action. The Poles, the Roumanians, the Slovaks and also the Hungarians have acted rapidly and effectively, and indeed without inquiring of the EU as to the details.

For the EU, before all the Poles and the Hungarians were, until yesterday, nevertheless the cold racists who allegedly had no heart for refugees. Now, Poland alone has taken in 1.2 million refugees. Were the U.S.A. to do something similar, it would now be approximately eight million. When – and this would be a decisive question – does the EU Commission actually apologize for this persistent slander of the Poles and Hungarians? The sometime or other is now.

It is right: The Poles, Slovaks and Roumanians take in primarily women and children. The Ukrainian men of course defend their country. And the Ukrainian women and children do not want a long asylum. Most of them seek out relatives or friends with whom they can shelter. They thus also want no state benefits. And that, Frau Johansson, is a fundamental difference with the other, primarily African migrants. They are for the most part not refugees – who traipses through 30 peaceful countries is no longer a refugee – but are social migrants who want to immigrate into the social system. Countries like Poland and Hungary do not want them, and also not most other countries. The only ones who want them are, I believe, you and the EU Commission.

These migrants are now unfortunately obstructing the reception capacities in many countries, especially in Germany, and in my hometown of Berlin. Berlin needs now create new spaces, yet does not find them. And why is this the case? On account of your, Frau Johansson, failed, erroneous, blind-to-reality migration policy.

Thus, my appeal: First, stop with the slandering of the Poles and the Hungarians. Second, stop with your wretched migration policy. And third, Frau Johansson, at best stop yourself. In this house here, that would be best of all.

 

[trans: tem]

 

Nicolaus Fest, March 7, 2022, Russians Guilty by Association

EU Parliament, Strasbourg, P9 CRE-PROV(2022)03-07(1-076-0000).

Herr President. Herr Commissioner. Frau Commissioner.

It certainly is a good day when I can in large part agree with you. This then is also a premiere and I hope that you now in fact implement this which the dear committee already for long demands. Frau in 't Veld has said it: There are naturally also sensible investment programs but the problems of corruption, tax fraud, money laundering, but also of rising real estate prices, are great problems for the citizens of the respective states.

The one thing here with which I have a real problem, even though all find it good, is the  suddenly quick inserted Sippenhaft [guilt by association] for all Russians. Here naturally is to be asked: Did you actually not know who Putin is? Does the name Politovskaya say something to you? Does the name Boris Nemtsov say something to you? Do the confrontations over the Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk simply say nothing to you?

Grozny has been bombed, Aleppo has been bombed. And what is it now when all peek at the Russian oligarchs? What about the African warlords? What about the war criminals? What about the Chinese communists, the high party functionaries? And what about the Arab despots who above all buy golden visas?

We say that European values are not for sale. Yet for me – I am now a lawyer, but fine – individual responsibility and individual guilt are also European values. And that we here introduce guilt by association, I find extremely problematic. I know that it is a difficult history, yet we should all again reconsider that. I otherwise welcome this resolution. But I cannot befriend guilt by association.

 

[trans: tem]

Nicolaus Fest, March 7, 2022, Civil Society

EU Parliament, Strasbourg, P9 CRE-PROV(2022)03-07(1-117-0000).

Herr President. Herr Commissioner.

Shrinking spaces – that is, schrumpfende Betätigungsfelder – for civil societies: That is nothing other than fake news. Primarily in Germany, yet also in many other countries, the financing increases year by year; thus there can be no talk at all of shrinking space.

What are civil societies? Civil societies are those which are usually designated as NGOs, or now in New German as NPOs – non-profit organizations. In fact, hiding behind this are nothing more than lobbyists. And who speaks with the people at Europol, as I have done recently, finds there quite clear considerations. They speak of namely that now already many NGOs have been infiltrated by organized criminality and that many NGOs in that regard serve for money laundering. Yet here, unfortunately, the European Parliament takes not a peek.

Primarily however, NGOs, or what is here called civil society, are a concrete problem in terms of democratic theory. At least in Germany, it is said: “All power of the state proceeds from the people”. It is not said: All power proceeds from civil society and lobby groups. Yet it leads to precisely that when the EU, yet plainly also the countries, give ever more money to such lobby groups.

Therefore, one should not complain of an allegedly shrinking space for civil societies, but expressly welcome it. Civil societies are not, as was previously said here, a guarantee for democracy but an acute danger and therefore any financing should be suspended.

 

[trans: tem]