From ... in Social issues Political Economics — Feb 15, 2025

JD Vance to Munich Security Conference: The threat to Europe comes from within

US Vice President JD Vance delivered a brilliant speech at the Munich Security Conference on 14 February 2025.

He criticised European leaders for censoring free speech and failing to control illegal migration, stating that these issues pose a greater threat to Europe than external actors like Russia or China.

“The threat I worry most about vis-à-vis Europe; is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor … [it’s] the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values shared with the United States of America,” Vance said.

Citing examples of the suppression of free speech and conscience rights, Vance mentioned the conviction of a Christian activist in Sweden and the prosecution of Adam Smith Connor in the UK for silently praying near an abortion clinic.

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The Munich Security Conference is an annual forum for international security policy debates and diplomatic initiatives. It was founded in 1963 by Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin and is held in Munich, Germany. This year’s conference took place from 14 to 16 February 2025, focusing on the “multipolarisation” of the world and the challenges it poses to global security.

According to Wikispooks, the Munich Security Conference is a deep state milieu. Independent Dutch researcher Joël van der Reijden has said that it is “always hopelessly overlooked in conspiracy circles. Many visitors later show up in Western governments.”

Considering this, it makes sense why the widely publicised response to US Vice President JD Vance’s speech is to label it as “controversial” and why it drew sharp rebukes from European leaders, including German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who called the speech “unacceptable.”

“We Gather at this conference, of course, to discuss security. And normally we mean threats to our external security. While the Trump Administration is very concerned with European security and believes that we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine … the threat I worry most about vis-à-vis Europe; is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor … [it’s] the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values shared with the United States of America,” Vance said.

He spoke about the importance of shared values, particularly democratic values. He cited the example of a former European commissioner who “sounded delighted” about the annulment of an election in Romania and warned that if things don’t go to plan the very same thing could happen in Germany. Vance finds this shocking.

He said that it is essential to live up to democratic values, rather than just talking about them. He referenced the Cold War where defenders of democracy fought against more tyrannical forces. He questioned whether the current actions of some European countries, such as cancelling elections, align with democratic values.

The Cold War’s outcome was positive. The opposing side did not value or respect the blessings of liberty including the freedom to surprise, make mistakes, invent and build. Innovation and creativity cannot be mandated, and people cannot be forced to think, feel or believe in certain ways, Vance said.

In today’s Europe, Vance is concerned about the state of freedom, with examples including the EU warning citizens that social media may be shut down during times of civil unrest due to “hateful content.”

In Germany, police raids against citizens suspected of posting anti-feminist comments online in the name of “combating misogyny on the internet, a day of action.”

In Sweden, a Christian activist was convicted for participating in Quran burnings that resulted in his friend’s murder. The judge in the Christian activist’s case noted that Sweden’s laws to protect free expression do not grant a “free pass” to do or say anything without a risk of offending the group that holds that belief.

Most concerningly, is what is happening in the United Kingdom, Vance said. “The erosion of conscience rights had put the liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs,” he said. He cited the example of Adam Smith Connor, a physiotherapist and army veteran, being charged and found guilty of silently praying near an abortion clinic, which is now considered a crime under the government’s new “buffers law.”

“I wish I could say that this was a fluke. A one-off crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person,” Vance said. But it’s not. The Scottish government has been distributing letters to citizens warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may be considered a crime if their homes are within “safe access zones” near abortion facilities and encouraging citizens to report suspected thought crimes. In other words, private prayer, within their own homes may be considered as breaking the law.

Related: Praying at home may be criminal offence in Scotland under new law, Christian Post, 12 October 2024

There are concerns that free speech is in retreat across Europe, and that censorship is being promoted. He spoke about censorship by the previous US administration under Joe Biden, which threatened and bullied social media companies to censor certain types of speech, including discussions about the origins of the coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2.

“So, I come here today not just with an observation but with an offer. And just as the Biden Administration seemed desperate to silence people for speaking their minds, so the Trump Administration will do precisely the opposite,” Vance said.

The current US administration, under Donald Trump’s leadership, is offering to work with European countries to promote free speech and protect it from censorship, and to create an environment where people can express their views without fear of retribution.

The situation has become so severe, Vance said, that Romania cancelled the results of its presidential election due to suspicions of Russian disinformation and pressure from neighbouring countries. The argument was that Russian disinformation had infected the Romanian elections but Vance questioned whether a democracy can be destroyed by a few hundred digital advertisements from a foreign country. If it can, he said, then that democracy was not strong to begin with.

Another sign that things have got very bad in Europe is that the organisers of the Munich Security Conference banned lawmakers representing populist parties from participating. These leaders represent important constituencies, Vance said, and should be included in dialogue.

“We don’t have to agree with everything or anything that people say … when political leaders represent an important constituency, it is incumbent upon us to at least participate in dialogue with them,” he said.

“To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old 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,” he said.

He continued, “I believe deeply that there is no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people … the crisis this continent faces right now, the crisis I believe we all face together is one of our own making. If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you. Nor for that matter is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump. You need democratic mandates to accomplish anything of value in the coming years.”

To enjoy competitive economies, affordable energy and secure supply chains, democratic mandates are necessary to make difficult choices, which can be accomplished by being more responsive to citizens’ voices, he explained.

A democratic mandate cannot be won by censoring opponents, putting them in jail or disregarding the electorate’s concerns on issues like who gets to be part of our shared society.

Mass migration is the most pressing and urgent challenge. Almost one in five people living in Germany have moved from abroad, which is an all-time high, and the number of immigrants entering the EU from non-EU countries doubled between 2021 and 2022.

The current migration situation is the result of a series of conscious decisions made by politicians over the past decade, and it has led to horrific events, such as the one that occurred in Munich on 13 February.

Related: Germany: Munich car ramming suspect had ‘Islamist motive’, Deutsche Welle, 14 February 2025

Voters on the continent did not vote to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants. On the contrary, more and more people are voting for leaders who promise to put an end to out-of-control migration. Why? Because people care about their homes, their dreams, their safety and their capacity to provide for themselves and their children. And, importantly, they are smart.

At this point, Vance explained why people do not want the ideas flowing out of “a couple of mountains in Davos.”

Warning about the globalist aims of the World Economic Forum, Vance said, “The citizens of all of our nations don’t generally think of themselves as educated animals or as interchangeable cogs of a global economy. And it’s hardly surprising that they don’t want to be shuffled about or relentlessly ignored by their leaders.”

Dismissing people’s concerns, shutting down media or shutting people out of the political process protects nothing, but it is the surefire way to destroy democracy.

Speaking up and expressing opinions, even by influential people from outside the country, is not election interference. It is essential for democracy. No democracy, whether American, German or European, can survive by telling millions of voters that their thoughts, aspirations and concerns are invalid or unworthy of consideration. Democracy rests on the principle that the voice of the people matters.

European leaders have a choice to make, Vance said. Leaders do not need to be afraid of the future or the voices of the people, even when their opinions are surprising or disagreeable. By embracing the voices of the people, leaders can face the future with certainty and confidence, knowing that the nation stands behind them.

The true magic of democracy is not found in institutions or buildings, Vance said, but in the understanding that each citizen has wisdom and a voice that deserves to be heard. “If we refuse to listen to that voice, even our most successful fights will secure very little.”

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