Debate contributions by Abir AL-SAHLANI

Mr President, woman, life, freedom. Three words that shook the world. Today, they echo again through the courage of the Iranian people who are fighting on the streets. Yet we as Europeans have not raised to their courage as we did before. Am I angry with the grey, half-hearted statements by the European Union? No, I am profoundly furious. Be concrete – offer humanitarian visas for activists. Break the internet blockade. Designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. Engage with the democratic opposition in Iran to facilitate a democratic transition and invoke responsibility to protect the UN Security Council. These are not radical demands. They are our obligations because history will not judge us by our statements, but by whether we stood with courage or hid behind procedure while people were killed, because silence kills also.

Mr President, thank you very much. When we politicians were home over Christmas, to celebrate with our loved ones and rest, evil and violence struck against women in Sweden. Two women were killed by two men, one in their own home and one on their way home. Children witnessed violence in their own safe environments – or what should be safe environments. The lines to the women's shelters and children's rights organisations were warm. It happens every Christmas. It is not unpredictable and it is proof of the Swedish government's failure to maintain any kind of protection system, including over leave, for women in these violent organisations. Regardless of the protection system or the laws that we write, I have to turn to the men. It takes men. Men who dare to speak out against sexism, men who dare to build security and men who choose to stand on the side of women. If not the men, then who? Women do not choose to be killed, but men can choose to stand up to sexism and violence against women.

Mr President, I would like also to start by giving my condolences to the people of Spain due to the horrible accident that has happened in the country. Madam Commissioner, thank you for being here and thank you for always promising and for delivering on your promises. And this will be an urge to continue to deliver on the promises that you have made, especially when it comes to the humanitarian aid and fragility context. I know that we are looking forward to a new strategy from your side, because never before has international humanitarian law been so challenged. Never before have humanitarian workers being killed in these numbers. Never before have humanitarian organisations been doubted, questioned, but also prosecuted by big international players. Never before has the UN lost so much. So, Europe, the EU and you finally are actually the last force standing. Consider this report a strength to you as well. We, the people, are saying that we have to stand up for international humanitarian law.

Madam President, while many children go to school, play with their friends and count down to the holidays, children in Nigeria live in fear of abduction and violence. As a mother, my heart breaks into million pieces. As a politician, I am furious. Families are pleading for international action and we must not look away. These attacks are a grave violation of international law and of children's fundamental rights. Every act of impunity fuels the next abduction, and this has to have an end now. We must better tackle the root causes of instability, extremist violence and resource‑driven conflict, and fight climate change. Children should not fear going to school. Let us take this fight together so that one day we can wish all children everywhere not just a peaceful holiday, but a future free from fear.

Mr President, Commissioner, Council, we have been building a Europe that excludes, a Europe that is not accessible for everyone, a Europe that discriminates with its structures and systems. We have built a Europe that is not for every European, and there is a debt to be paid by us back to all our citizens. Not only because it is about democracy, human rights and social justice, but because we are losing out on competition. We are losing out on income for the European Union. The cost of not having the legislation in place amounts to EUR 1.3 billion. And by extending protection beyond employment, this directive would improve access to education, housing, healthcare, transport and services for elderly people, persons with disabilities, religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTIQ+ persons. Ensuring equal treatment across these groups is not only a matter of fundamental rights, as I said, but also of economic common sense. Discrimination wastes talent. It shrinks markets and holds back growth. This directive is about fairness, but it is also about making Europe stronger, more competitive and more inclusive. We need this directive, and we need it yesterday.

Madam President, it came as a surprise to us who have been working with this text and resolution for a while that there was an alternative resolution invoking the principles of subsidiarity, given that the Commission has already stated that this Citizens' Initiative falls within the EU competence in relation to cross-border health services. Subsidiarity does not appear to be an issue for Mr Bellamy and company when the Commission proposed the EU financial incentives for cross-border support to cancer screenings within the EU4Health programme. That's why I would like to introduce an oral amendment as follows: 'Recalls that in its Decision on the registration of the ECI, the Commission stated that "there seems to be no straightforward targeted interference with the competences of Member States to define their own health policy and the organisation of their health services by the simple fact of providing financial support to provide this type of health service"; recalls that according to the Treaty, "The European Parliament and the Council … may also adopt measures designed to protect and improve human health and in particular to combat the major cross-border health scourges"; highlights that EU resources have been used to directly finance or co-finance health services in the Member States in other cases, within the EU's supporting competences;'. This oral amendment is done just to clarify and add to the facts of the alternative resolution.

Mr President, 'My voice, my choice' exists because women in Poland are dying. Because women in Malta are treated as criminals. Because in Italy, access to abortion is only on paper, but in reality, it's blocked. Because in Hungary and in Slovakia, women's rights are being pushed back systematically under the banner of 'tradition'. 'My voice, my choice' exists because right-wing politicians in this House have been spending years blocking, delaying and denying women's rights. The result of that is women depending on borders. The result of that is freedom being conditioned just because you are a woman. 'My voice, my choice' is the citizens calling out our lack of leadership. Millions are saying to us, 'our bodies are not your battleground.' To those who still oppose this initiative: your ideology does not outweigh women's rights. Your discomfort does not triumph over fundamental rights for women. Let me be very clear: there is nothing responsible in endangering women's lives. One out of three women in the EU will at some point an abortion in her life – meaning your sister, your wife, your colleague. Criminalising abortion or making it inaccessible means putting women's lives in danger. 'My voice, my choice' is democracy knocking on your door, and history will remember who answered and who looked away. You can no longer claim that you support equality while voting against it in practice. So choose: stand with women or stand exposed, because a Europe that compromises on women's bodies is a Europe that has already compromised its soul. If Europe can protect banks, borders, budgets, then it can protect women. If Europe can fund roads, bridges and weapons, then it can also fund women's healthcare. Act, listen to the citizens and stop sacrificing women's rights to old-fashioned fears. Because a Europe that controls women's bodies is not a Union of values; it is a Union in retreat. Because a Europe that controls women's bodies is not a democracy – it's a warning.

Mr President, what we are witnessing in Tanzania is not the aftermath after elections, but a national tragedy. On 29 October, President Samia Suluhu Hassan crowned herself with a victory of 97 % of the votes after silencing the very people who challenged her. When citizens rose up – especially the young – they were met with bullets, brutality and a blockade on truth. Hundreds killed, hundreds injured, hundreds arrested – the entire country living in fear. Let us say his name clearly: Tundu Lissu, the opposition leader charged with treason, locked away simply because he exercised his democratic right to run for election. His imprisonment is a broader assault on democracy in Tanzania that is taking away all the promises to the Tanzanian people of their freedom. To the Tanzanian people: we have heard you. We are on your side. This House has chosen to stand by you.

Madam President, we stand in orange and we stand in fury. We are furious because still women are controlled, beaten, raped and murdered by men in the EU. Let me be very, very clear: this is not a woman's problem. Gender-based violence is a man's problem. And to the men in this Chamber, and beyond, unless you choose building safety over staying in your comfort zone, nothing will change. Unless you choose respect over dominance, nothing will change. Unless you are the ones who change the norms among the male population – call out that friend's sexist joke, challenge the lies, call out your uncle's shitty opinions about women around the Christmas dinner table. We wear orange for hope, but hope means nothing, if you are not courageous enough to look in the mirror and see how you yourself have been enabling gender-based violence.

Madam President, in accordance with Rule 118, I would like to make this House aware that on 28 October, the Israeli Ambassador to the UN, His Excellency Danny Danon, called the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian occupied territories, Ms Francesca Albanese, a 'witch', and her report a 'spell book'. I would like to ask you, Madam President, to call upon the Israeli Ambassador to the EU and remind him that that kind of rhetoric led Europe to burn women who were opinionated, who were free, who were inconvenient, alive. Remind him that that kind of rhetoric does not belong in a democratic conversation, because if we would have used the same rhetoric, we would be calling His Excellency Danny Danon maybe a sexist, a misogynist, or a douchebag, I don't know. But we won't, because when they go low, we go high, and that's why we invited Ms Francesca Albanese to this House. I would like to extend my personal invitation to the far-right colleagues to come ask your questions, say your opinions, because this is what we do in a democratic society. But something tells me that when wisdom comes running to you, you will find a way to run away faster.

I loved the tribute that you did to your mom. But have you ever asked her if she was seeing any violence? Maybe she felt it herself, she was maybe a victim of violence herself, and in that same question – were there migrants around her? Or was it a man? This is what you are not listening to when we are talking about men's violence. It's about the gender, it's not about the origin, because what is the common denominator is them being men – white, yellow, red, whatever.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, the EU has a violence problem, a gender-based violence problem. It's vast, it's severe, it's devastating. It is online, it is in real life. It is at home, it is in the workplace, it is in the public. It stretches from microaggressions to murders. This not only damages and changes a woman forever, but it is also costing the EU EUR 290 billion a year. So what's to be done, one can ask? Well, let's address the elephant in the room: we have to talk about men. Because even if it's not all men, it is always a man who is the perpetrator. And we have to talk to men because men have to be responsible for setting the norms among the male population in the EU. We also have to have consent-based legislation, because a 'no' has to mean a 'no' in Europe. And if we want to walk the talk, then we have to ensure that there is enough money in the next MFF to combat gender-based violence. It is high time for the EU to come back and come on track to the gender equality track.

Madam President, on my way here this morning, I was looking at my phone and I had to see yet another Palestinian mother hug her kid, calling him to wake up from his death. Yet another mother, yet another parent, had to bury their child. What role can the EU play for these people? My answer would be to make the short lives of these kids, and their violent deaths, matter. And how can we do that? Yes, we know that peace cannot be achieved only when justice is served. That's why the EU has to, first, stop the Association Agreement with Israel, because we cannot be associated with war criminals. Two, we have to fully support the ICC and ICJ, because these war criminals have to stand in responsibility and end the impunity on both sides, Hamas and Israel. We have to stop the settler economy. We cannot have products from violent settlers' stolen land. We have to stop the land theft in the West Bank and the settler violence. And there is no other solution than the two-state solution, because Israelis owe it to the Palestinians, and the Palestinians well damn deserve their own state now.

Dear colleague, do you claim that our demonstrators – our citizens who are outside demonstrating for peace, for human rights, for Palestinians – are on the wrong side of history? Do you, by any chance, mean that the recognition of a Palestinian state is a big mistake? Something that I think is a debt we have to the Palestinians for the last 70 years. Do you really mean that when we demand justice for the over 60 000 Palestinians killed, 2 000 of them under the age of one year, that this is Hamas propaganda? A call for human rights – is that Hamas propaganda for you?

Thank you for this very not enlightening speech, because you only just criticise what feminists are doing. You're talking about gender, but then you claim that we are the sexists when you actually are the one who is because you only talk about sexism, not gender. So tell me, what do you actually want to do to combat the violence against women inside the EU? Besides talking about migration – all kinds of violence against women, what do you want to do so we can achieve true gender equality between women and men and all other genders? What do you actually want to do besides leading here with disinformation? Thank you.

Mr President, every step towards women's rights began with a woman who refused to wait for permission to be equal. They were called difficult, emotional, demanding. I will never wait for permission either. Today we are witnessing, across Europe and beyond, a global backlash against gender equality and a growing anti-gender movement that yesterday was outside the House – today they hold seats in this House of democracy, trying to roll back decades of progress on gender equality and silence our voices. The roadmap that the Commission presented is very welcome. It is a renewed commitment, and I would like to thank Commissioner Hadja Lahbib for her strong and dedicated leadership for women, for a more equal Europe and world. The priorities are clear: a world free of gender-based violence, equal opportunities and education, sexual and reproductive health, and rights for everyone. Every step towards gender equality was once called uncomfortable, impossible or necessary until it became undeniable. Endorsing the roadmap is our next step to stand firm when gender equality is under attack, not just with promises, but with concrete, real actions.

You said something very interesting: that the Afghan women were born oppressed, on the one hand, and on the other hand that we women in Europe are already gender-equal. What is your answer to the women in, for example, Malta or Hungary, who are not allowed to have a safe and legal abortion? Many of them have damage for life, and some of them have actually lost their lives.

Mr President, allow me to speak directly to my sisters in Afghanistan: all my respect for your fight and resilience, for your strength and courage. We see you, we hear you, and we are going to fight with you. Because we – women in Europe – know the fight for gender equality too well. But those who are trying to oppress us here just come in nicer suits. I know that gender equality is possible in Afghanistan, even if being a woman today in Afghanistan feels like being trapped in a nightmare. There is no doubt there is a gender apartheid in Afghanistan. And Madam Commissioner, we have to, as an EU, work towards having gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. We need also to focus on and prioritise women and girls in our humanitarian response, because we have to be the force that carries and the force that empowers girls and women in Afghanistan.

Madam President, today we are thinking about the victims of the terrorist attack on 7 October and their families. Peace is needed and it has been needed for the last 70 years. So let's talk about the peace plan then, and here, I really need the Commission to listen, because this plan comes at a time when several international organisations and bodies of authority and human rights organisations have concluded that after two years of violence, the atrocities in Gaza meet the threshold for genocide. What are the risks with this plan then? First, it risks locking in impunity, because how can two parties that are deemed by the International Court of Justice being war criminals, actually will lead to responsibility? Secondly, it risks to rewrite the responsibility of the attack, of what is going on. Thirdly, the outcome will be for the powerful ones and not for the victims. Fourth, the gains that are won on the battlefield will be permanent political gains. We all know that there cannot be peace without justice because it is very much needed...

Madam President, Robert Fico – you are following the schoolbook of the crackdown on democracy and human rights. We've seen it before; you go after the LGBTQI+ persons, you go after the right of safe, legal abortion. You then go after the next group and the next group. You incite corruption. The freedom that you are enjoying, the democracy that brought you to power, the rule of law that is protecting your rights as much as anyone else's rights; these are principles and values that were fought for by the Slovak people long before you came to power. They were fought for with sweat, tears and blood. These are not for you to be used for your own agenda. You are turning your own country into Putin's Trojan horse, inside the very Union that contributed to the prosperity of your country. Not as a favour to you, but because the Slovak people belong in Europe. I am convinced that with the Slovak people, and because of our colleagues in progressive Slovakia, democracy will prevail and your attempt to turn your country into an autocracy will fail.

Madam President, this debate is both factually and morally wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And two factual wrongs you will find already in the name of this debate. There is no mass migration to Europe, but in fact, there is a 66 % drop in the applications of asylum. The second wrong is the EU-wide data shows that sexual violence is committed by EU nationals, by men who are known to the women in their own homes. The common denominator here is spelled M-E-N, men. That is where the wrong is. The far right are twisting facts into an ignorant, hate-fuelled portrayal of migrants. Correlation does not equal causality. Women's rights organisations are rejecting your cynical weaponisation of our pain for your racist agenda. I have my voice. Don't you dare claim to represent it.

Mr President, nine years ago, Ahmadreza Jalali was arrested in Iran with fabricated charges of espionage. He was sentenced to death without a trial. Under the influence of torture, he is held in the notorious prison Evin and at risk of being executed at any time. Jalali has constantly been denied medical care and held in isolation without any contact with his family, and in the last year his health has severely deteriorated. In May this year he had a heart attack and after all of that, no medical attention or help. Sweden and Member States and the External Action Service bear a responsibility to increase their pressure on the regime in Iran for his immediate release. And to you, Ahmadreza Jalali, we have not forgotten you. You're always on our minds. And I would like to extend the gratitude of the Members of this House to his family, especially his wife, for always reminding us about his case, for always being there. Thank you for your fight for Ahmadreza Jalali. Release Ahmadreza Jalali now.

Madam President, for too long have we spoken of Palestinians suffering. For too long have we done close to nothing. Just sending money over is not enough anymore. I know that there is not so much you can do, Madam Commissioner. But there are some things that actually you can take a lead on, and be the one who will redefine how history will look at us. There are 40 000 displaced in the West Bank; nearly 60 000 people dead in Gaza. But we still lack an EU common action. We need actions. No more words. Stop the Association Agreement – that's where you can take a lead, Madam Commissioner. Sanction the Netanyahu regime, like we have done with the Russians – there you can also take a lead, Madam Commissioner. Sanction the settler economy – there also you can take a lead, Madam Commissioner. We need a leadership of action. No more words. No more hiding behind 'We are sending money', because when the money is there, the aid is stopped. It's not reaching the starving people.

Mr President, earlier today, 51 Palestinians were killed by Israeli tanks just because they were standing in line for food. They were starving. They were not armed terrorists. The Israeli‑backed humanitarian fund is nothing else but a war strategy of Netanyahu. In Stockholm, in The Hague, in Brussels, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets showing a red line, marching for a ceasefire, for ending this war on the people in Gaza, showing more leadership than many of those who are European leaders today. Thank you to all of you who are demonstrating or taking to the streets, showing us that Europe is not only its leadership. Next week, the leaders of the EU have the opportunity to actually take action. And you, Commissioner, you have the chance to be one of those who will define history. You have the chance to be one of those who will rewrite our complicity with the silence that we have. Europe should not reward war criminals and acts of war crimes with trade deals. It's time to end the Association Agreement with Israel.

Madam President, Commissioner, representative of the Council, dear colleagues, I'm tired of having this debate in this Chamber. So now I'm speaking to the people of Europe directly. I know, like me, the eyes of the starving children in Gaza, the pictures of the shredded bodies of the children in Gaza are haunting you. 14 000 children are on the brink of death – 14 000, by the end of today – as a direct result of the Israeli siege. And finally, we have seen some movement yesterday. Finally, the Council agreed to review the Association Agreement with Israel. And it is thanks to you, the people of Europe, you made that possible. So don't stop now, don't look away. Write to your Members of Parliament, call your government, email your representatives, ask for them to push for the stopping of the Association Agreement with Israel during the review time. It is a history-defining moment. Let the people of Europe be the ones who define that history.