In a recent speech, JD Vance criticized European leaders for their censorship and anti-Christian biases. He began his address by referring to the Cold War but said that many liberal governments mirror the actions of the Soviets. He cited specific examples from Sweden and the United Kingdom. He concluded his remarks by calling for unity in embracing freedom of expression.
“We gather at this conference to discuss security,” he began. ” Normally, we mean threats to our external security. I see many great military leaders gathered here today. While the Trump administration is very concerned with European security and believes…The threat I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, not any other external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within.”
“The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values. Values shared with the United States of America. I was struck that a former European Commissioner went on television recently and sounded delighted that the Romanian government had just annulled an entire election,” Vance said. ” He warned the same thing could happen in Germany too. These cavalier statements are shocking to American ears.”
“For years we have been told that everything we fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values …we ought to ask whether we are holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard,” The Vice President orated. ” I say ourselves because I fundamentally believe we are all on the same team. We must do more than talk about democratic values. We must live them.”
“I look to Sweden,” he stated. ” Two weeks ago the government convicted a Christian activist for participating in Koran burnings that resulted in his friend’s murder. As the judge in his case chillingly noted, Sweden’s laws to supposedly protect freedom of expression do not in fact grant, and I’m quoting, “a free pass to do or say anything without risking offending the group that holds that belief.”
“Perhaps, most concerningly, I look to our dear friends, the United Kingdom… A little over two years ago the British government charged Adam Smith Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and army veteran with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes,” JD Vance delivered. ” Not obstructing anyone. Not interacting with anyone. Just silently praying on his own.”
“After British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied simply it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before,” Vance said. ” The officers were not moved. Adam was found guilty of breaking the government’s new buffer zones law which criminalizes silent prayer and other actions that could influence a person’s decision within 200 meters of an abortion facility. He was sentenced to pay thousands of pounds in legal costs to the prosecution.”
“In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat… Where the prior administration threatened and bullied social media companies to censor so-called misinformation…our own government encouraged private companies to silence people who dared to utter what turned out to be an obvious truth. I come here today not just with an observation but with an offer,” he added. ” Just as the Biden administration seemed desperate to silence people for speaking their minds, so the Trump administration will do precisely the opposite. I hope we can work together on that”
“To believe in democracy is to understand that each of our citizens has wisdom and has a voice. If we refused to listen, our most successful fights will secure very little. As Pope John Paul II, one of the most extraordinary champions of democracy on this continent or any other once said, do not be afraid,” Vance concluded. ” We should not be afraid of our people even when they express views that disagree with their leadership. Thank you all. Good luck to all of you. God bless you.”