The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, defended this Saturday from Berlin “a Europe committed to the human rights that others want to dismantle” in the midst of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip – which he only referred to on one occasion – and warned of the advance of the “extreme right virus” in European territory in the run-up to the European elections.
These were the two messages he conveyed in his speech during the Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), where he asserted that “in times of great uncertainty” his duty is to remain “firm” to the “principles and values” that define social democracy. .
Sánchez avoided referring to the Gaza war directly – which on previous occasions has cost him diplomatic crises with Israel for denouncing the “indiscriminate killing” – but he did issue a series of messages about the conflict.
In his warning about the “far-right virus,” he stated that he is waging a global battle in which he must choose, among other things, between “respect for human rights or the barbarism of war.”
At this juncture, he supported the conception of “a Europe that is open and committed to the human rights that others want to dismantle,” which is “the real soul of Europe,” and asserted that both Spain and Germany will be “united in its defense.”
“Do we want a Europe that serves to inspire the world by being an example of integration and progress or do we want a Europe that hides behind the trenches? Do we want to be an inspiration that shows that democracy, social justice and the economy can work together, or a frightened Europe dominated by fear? ”He asked the German Social Democrats.
In a European key, he stressed that “hate and fear are dangerous viruses that can be lethal” for democracy and warned that “the extreme right understands this very well and knows how to spread it.”
He assured that this virus “is invading traditional parties” on the right as has happened in the United States, Brazil, Argentina or some European countries – he did not mention any directly – and stressed that, if Europe “does not propose solutions” or “move forward” , there is a risk of returning to the past.
“It is not enough to resist the reactionary tide that is sweeping the world with fear and oblivion. We have to move forward. And the best way to ensure progress is to continue defending the principles of the family of social democracy,” declared Sánchez, who asked the social democrats to take a step forward in the European elections in the face of the advance of the extreme right.
In parallel with his participation in the SPD Congress, Sánchez met with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to review key issues on the European agenda such as the reform of fiscal rules or the Migration and Asylum Pact.
In this context, he stressed that Germany is “a key partner” of Spain at the bilateral, European and international level “to continue improving the lives of our fellow citizens.”
In his speech during the SPD conclave, Sánchez ratified his support for Scholz and guaranteed him that he can count on him and the PSOE “to combat” all the challenges facing Europe.
