“Enough of turning a blind eye.”

During its plenary session in Strasbourg, MEP Irena Joveva addressed the European Parliament on the anti-European far right in the EU.

In her speech, she said there had been enough of turning a blind eye, as it is high time to free Europe from kleptocratic autocratic tendencies and to defend our values and the Union. She referred to a wide range of horrendous acts, such as the curtailment of human rights, attacks on free journalism and the LGBTQI+ community, disrespect for the rule of law, corrupt practices and the spread of intolerance – all of which are supported or even encouraged by Europe’s far-right.

Joveva stressed that all of the above points to a decline of democratic values and to the rise of illiberal tendencies. To illustrate this, she used the example of the far right in Slovenia engaging in a fictitious struggle against the long-defunct communism.

She concluded her speech by warning that the lack of action and solutions creates a breeding ground for the far right to continue to thrive and spread. In her closing remark, she said that the spread of the far right means a constant erosion of the foundations of the EU.

You can watch MEP Joveva’s speech here.