Speeches

Mr President. Attacks by extremists are escalating in Slovakia. This time the target of their attacks are Roma in the town of Michalovce, who have been terrorized for several weeks by fascist politicians who have used the brutal crime of an individual, a person living in the Roma community, to terrorize all Roma in Slovakia by applying collective guilt. It has gone so far that fascists want to establish militias as a tool for physical intervention against poor people living in Roma communities. It is absurd what all our democratic systems can overlook. We overlook racist attacks on social media, we overlook fascist threats, humiliation, the application of collective guilt. Many of these politicians who threaten the Roma in Slovakia today admire Hitler with impunity, deny the Holocaust, and we are still silent. How long do you want to be quiet, my friends? How long will fascist politicians be free, or even in democratic institutions like this Parliament?

Madam President, although we often discuss the status and protection of journalists here in the European Parliament, journalists in Europe are still under threat. There are still many journalists who are not allowed to carry out their work freely, without intimidation, restriction or fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Today we see with our own eyes the courageous journalists in Ukraine who risk their lives to make the world aware of the truth and the atrocities of the Russian aggression. We also see courageous journalists in Russia facing the harshest punishments just for risking and wanting to spread the truth. Europe has its own heroes: Ján Kuciak from Slovakia, Daphne Galizia from Malta, whose life went out precisely because they wanted to write the truth. Unfortunately, free journalism is dying out. Not surprisingly, journalists are under a lot of pressure. How can they win the fight against mafias, corrupt politicians or oligarchs when they have no conditions for doing so? In various European countries, opinion-forming media are bought by wealthy oligarchs, who often put their business on the edge of the law. They literally corrupt politicians and, through the media they own, attack those who fight corruption through established journalists. They do not seek the truth, they represent the interests of their patrons and spoil the reputation of honest journalists. This is also why we are more often confronted with pseudo-journalists who spread disinformation, hatred and lies. If we want a free Europe and justice, a fair society, we need to give journalists enough resources, including their personal protection. We can no longer allow what happened to John and Daphne to be repeated.

Mr President, the two strategic frameworks we are discussing were adopted at a time when we had no idea of the challenges we are facing today. During the COVID pandemic, culture was one of the areas that suffered the most. We have not yet recovered from the pandemic, and we already have the war and its challenges that rewrite Europe's modern history. Of course, Europe must also respond to these challenges in the field of culture. Social inequality and discontent are on the rise, populism and, of course, extremism are on the rise. In parallel, Europe is moving towards new digital technologies. Artificial intelligence, of course, is increasingly being used. All these changes are happening at a very fast pace, and it is precisely in these difficult and rapidly changing times that it is culture that has enormous potential to elevate the spirit, to unite people, to strengthen their mutual identity and cohesion. However, the funding of culture by Member States is still significantly undersized. And while we in the European Parliament managed to increase the budget of the Creative Europe programme, it is still insufficient. The optimal solution could be to use funding to promote culture in synergy with other programmes such as Horizon, Europe or Erasmus+. This would achieve not only financial but also cross-sectoral connectivity, in particular with the field of education, which I consider to be very crucial, as well as in the sphere of our cultural heritage. It is an integral part of the identity of each one of us.

Only thanks to the personal resentment and hatred of Richard Sulík, who was recently a coalition partner and minister in Eduard Heger's clearly pro-European, pro-Slovak government, Slovakia is threatened by corrupt socialists led by Fico and Pellegrini coming to power in the centre of Europe, whose nominees are sitting in jail today and have begun to convict the top politicians of Smer and Voice. In Slovakia, the purification of the prosecutor's office, courts and police takes place for the third year. Influential nominees from the Socialist Smer or Voice parties have been put behind bars, and suspicions go directly to the leaders of Fico and Pellegrini. Today, right in the centre of Europe, corruption, hand in hand with the mafia, threatens to tear Slovakia out of the hands of justice and open the door to the future government of fascists and mafias. What is happening in Slovakia is a great lesson for all Democrats. Democracy is threatened by traitors. Maybe because of personal ambitions, maybe because of a desire for help, money or because of unpaid debts, traitors are now willing to sell Slovakia to mafias, oligarchs and fascists.

Madam President, poverty, fear, insecurity, this too is part of the millions of young people in Europe. We are living tough times. The Covid-19 pandemic, but also the war, brought fear, fear and a sense of isolation. In Europe, but also in Slovakia, in my country, there is an increasing number of young people who have extremist views, encounter open aggression, we have even seen recently how a young person murdered in Slovakia out of hatred. All the more so today, young people need our support and understanding. We need to make sure that young people's views and opinions are very important to us. Young Europeans must feel our support. We must not underestimate the future of young Europeans, because someday they will be the ones to decide what Europe is like.

Mr President, I am pleased that the European Parliament is naming, acknowledging the existence of institutional racism practices. These are practices on the part of the authorities to protect, educate or develop in the European Union. Inappropriate violence during police interventions against Roma or other minorities, segregation and unjustified placement of Roma children in special schools with intellectual disabilities, discrimination in employment or healthcare, lack of access to basic needs such as drinking water or sewerage. These are just some of the cases that reflect the reality of today, which is often based on discrimination, ethnic or racial principle. We must recognise that all these practices not only undermine the dignity of the people against whom they are directed, but also frustrate all our efforts for prosperity and well-being, as well as mutual cohesion and security. We live in times of many challenges. However, if we want to meet these challenges and move forward, then racism in our societies simply must not be tolerated in any way, in the interest of all of us.

Mr President, the poorest regions of the European Union are also the most vulnerable regions in Europe. The current crises show us that the least developed regions are the biggest weakness of the European Union. Long-term neglected infrastructure, low levels of education, high unemployment significantly worsen the chances of people who often have no choice but to leave their homes for a better life. Increases in energy and food prices affect the most vulnerable, the poorest and people from the least developed regions the most. Despite knowing exactly which regions in Europe are the poorest for many years, we do not find the right medicine in the long term to reduce the regional divides in Europe. If we do not bring jobs, quality education to these regions, then after all the crises, Europeans in these regions will resort to extreme solutions. Nowadays, people in these regions are much more likely to believe in hoaxes, disinformation, populism, and even fascists. This is why it is time to really wake up and find the right medicine to support these regions more strongly.

Mr President, it is not uncommon today to read hateful messages on the internet and in the sense of: All the gypsies must be killed, all the bullies must be killed, and all the Jews must be killed. Unfortunately, many people today tolerate such swearing on the Internet. The murderer from Slovakia is also an example of how many have been able to tolerate and underestimate hatred towards Jews, LGBT or Roma. If this Bratislava killer had praised Bin Laden, he would have been in jail a long time ago. But since his ideal was only Hitler or Breivik, everyone overlooked this. It ended with a terrorist act, a massacre of two people in the center of Bratislava. Let me tell you my own experience. When the racists threatened to rape my gypsy wife and kill my nigger children one by one, and under the windows someone was watching us, despite advanced technology, the perpetrator was not tracked down. Why is it that when someone threatens minorities with death, we say it's freedom of speech? But how is it possible that terrorism is a red line for us, but fascism is tolerated by society? Hatred of otherness, of the Roma, of Jews or of LGBT people, is not freedom of speech. Fascism is just as bad as terrorism. And those who spread fascism must be treated as vigorously as those who spread terrorism.

Mr President, in times of a pandemic that has hit vulnerable groups the hardest, such as children, especially from socially weaker families, the Dutch tax authorities wrongly accused parents with a so-called risk profile of being ineligible for child benefit. It was not a small number of people, but about 20,000 unjustly accused parents, who, due to a reckless and irresponsible attitude on the part of the state, came to the brink of bankruptcy. Dear friends, it was institutional racism. Yes, dear colleagues. The scandal in the Netherlands is a violation of the rule of law and institutional racism. What strikes me personally, however, is that institutional racism today may not have any social or political consequences. An example of this is this case. For example, in my country in Slovakia, despite numerous warnings and media coverage, I encounter cases where Roma children are wrongfully placed in so-called special schools or schools for the mentally disabled, despite being healthy. It's also about institutional racism. It is not enough, dear friends, just to state, but it is really necessary to act in these cases. I therefore call, in essence, on the European Commission, but also on the Member States, to urgently find sufficient resources so that similar cases can never be repeated. Victims are innocent people who suffer only because of their skin color and membership of an ethnic minority because they do not like being of a different skin color or other than the majority population.

Madam President, many of us Europeans cannot even imagine what life without water means. However, we all experience a complication if we were disconnected from the water in our homes, apartments, even for a day. Unfortunately, the situation in the world is appalling. Billions of people, especially from third world countries, do not take for granted what we have, they simply do not have access to drinking water. If we do not change the impacts of global warming, climate change, the consequences of which we are already experiencing today, some parts of the world will literally dry up. Millions of migrants will be at the gates of Europe, begging not for a better life in the Union, but for a glass of drinking water. However, we also have a problem with access to drinking water directly in the European Union, where millions of Roma living in poor Roma settlements drink water from the stream. We cannot, on the one hand, be a leader in digitalisation or artificial intelligence and, on the other hand, close our eyes to the millions of Europeans and billions of people in the world who cannot access a glass of clean and safe water throughout the day.

Madam President, despite the fact that the European Commission has a second ten-year strategy, despite the fact that we are sending billions to the Member States to improve the situation of the Roma, despite the fact that the Member States also have their own Roma inclusion strategies, I have already said several times in this House: It's not enough. Please stop hiding behind declarations, strategies or promises. Because today's lives of millions of Roma in Europe are often worse than those of those living in the third world. Please go to any ghetto or settlement in Slovakia, Hungary, Romania or Bulgaria and you will find that the situation is really shocking. Despite billions, strategies or plans, children live in Europe without water, without education, their parents often without work, simply without a future. How long, please, ladies and gentlemen, should we accept this? How long is it to be seen that in many European countries there is a lack of political will at municipal level to build a water supply, a sewerage system, a road, a kindergarten or a school? How long will strategies be enough without real results? It is not enough to have empty words. We need leverage on those who refuse to take responsibility in the Member States and to bring a dignified life even to the poorest settlements in Europe. It is unacceptable that many municipalities use European resources for anything, but they do not want money for Roma settlements and ghettos. I ask all the European institutions, but also the Member States, please stop talking and start acting. Keep in mind that Roma children, like other children in the European Union, have the right to pursue their dreams. These Roma children also have the right to pursue their dreams. And it is our duty, the dog's duty, for each of us, whether at the level of the European Union or at the level of the Member States, to take action and not just to talk.

After the pandemic, after the war in Ukraine, there was a huge energy crisis, which rightly causes hopelessness and fear. But hopelessness and fear are also what make people in Europe tempted to believe in fascists. Today, Europe is threatened not only with economic collapse, but also with a real return of fascists to power that has not been there since World War II. A similar situation, a similar economic crisis, existed before the war. Even then, even today, people began to believe in fascist populism. They simply succumbed to temptation. Nowadays, fascists don't fight. They pretend that the center of their interest is ordinary people. It's a lie. They are still fascists. In difficult times, I ask all democratic parties, right or left, not to yield to the temptation to engage in any kind of cooperation with people who, just a few months ago, seduced, questioned the Holocaust or defamated other races. Please stop legitimizing the fascists. During World War II, many thought they wouldn't be on the Fascist death list because they would start working with them. Please stop naively thinking that it doesn't concern you.

Friends, I have spoken several times in this House. Although we have political will, as well as strategies for Roma integration at European or national level, although we also have money, there are a huge number of children without education. Their parents are out of work. Many Roma live in conditions similar to the African continent. At a time when European municipalities and cities are building cycle paths for EU funds, buying buses, renovating squares, Roma children in the same locations are drinking water from the creek. In many municipalities and cities, we see how they can successfully spend European money, but when it comes to projects for Roma, it stops there. Dear friends, we cannot leave it alone. We cannot accept how municipalities and cities do not want to go to Roma projects. I am pleased to visit Slovakia next week, together with my colleagues from the REGI Committee, where we will look for solutions to finally make the money and strategies offered by the European Commission a priority for mayors. That in the 21st century, in developed Europe, Roma also live in dignity as people. .

Madam President, it has already been six years since the start of the infrijment or the illegal act launched by the European Commission against Slovakia because of the long-standing discrimination against Roma children in the education system. Despite the warnings, but despite the latest call from the Council of Europe, the Slovak Ministry of Education has done nothing to prepare Roma children for the labour market. Due to the approach of the Slovak Ministry of Education, tens of thousands of children in Slovakia are lost. They end up without sufficient education, no job potential, no future, and even no dreams. The Ministry of Education neglects the crucial period of pre-primary education, which cannot be overtaken, and continues to allow the unjustified inclusion of Roma children in special schools. We all hoped that the new Slovak Minister of Education, Gröhling, would take systemic measures. Unfortunately, in two years, it has yielded nothing but the usual response that Roma inclusion is important. Dear friends, this school year thousands of Roma children will leave the education system in Slovakia. Unfortunately, without a future. Colleagues, how long should we watch what is happening in the field of education of Roma children in Slovakia?

Madam President, six months ago we adopted a resolution on strengthening democracy and media freedom. As it states, journalists increasingly face intimidation, physical attacks, in particular when they target abuses of power, corruption or violations of fundamental human rights. Such practices undermine democracy and the functioning of the rule of law. In March of this year, Georgia applied for the status of candidate country of the European Union. However, these fundamental values, such as freedom of expression and the protection of journalists, are under serious threat in the country. We have intimidating examples of murdered investigative journalist Ján and his fiancée Martina from Slovakia or Maltese investigative journalist Daphne, who paid with their lives to do their journalistic work. Therefore, my message to the Georgian authorities is clear and unambiguous: We need to act, not just stand by.

Madam President, during the reign of Robert Fico for twelve years, Slovakia was not a state governed by the rule of law. Judgments were bought, cheated, stolen. Nine years ago, there was a police raid in Moldava nad Bodvou, in which police beat the inhabitants of the Roma settlement, including women and children. Victims of this violence were not only physically assaulted and beaten, they even accused the beaten of perjury, for which they were subsequently prosecuted. This also happened under the rule of Robert Fico. It is absurd that after this police raid, ex-Prime Minister Fico came to thank the police for a well-done battle with his minister Robert Kaliňák. It took nine years to get justice, helped by the change of mafia government under Prime Minister Eduard Heger's current government, which has been trying to get Slovakia on the path of the rule of law for two years. It was only thanks to the change of government that a settlement was reached between the state and the complainants, which was confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The case also shows that Fico and Pellegrini are miles away from the rule of law, but very close to corruption, the mafia and breaking the law.

Mr President, I am very pleased that the creation of the European Education Area is gaining momentum today. We need to put in place mechanisms that will help our citizens to be able to face socio-economic changes, such as the transition to a green or digital economy. We already have an army of unemployed, long-term unemployed people in Europe, such as the Roma, who are often inapplicable to the labour market. There are several reasons. I will mention the inability of education systems to prepare Roma children for the labour market, they prefer to place them in special schools, thus losing the chance for quality education, work or the future. Discrimination, racism or catastrophic living conditions without access to drinking water is the daily reality of many poor and poor people, i.e. Roma children across the European Union. Dear friends, will tools such as micro-credentials or individual learning accounts also help vulnerable and disadvantaged groups? Will it be enough in the fast-changing digital age? Personally, I believe it does. Let us not forget, however, that these activities need to be controlled and evaluated for their real effects.

Madam President. On the one hand, we must be pleased that, despite the metalid, many people from all over Europe have been able to participate in the Conference on the Future. On the other hand, we cannot be pleased that we have not been able to involve the poorest and most vulnerable to a greater extent in this activity. On the one hand, we can be pleased that a huge number of people who participated in the Conference on the Future feel European. On the other hand, we must admit that there is a large group of people in Europe who do not feel that they are full citizens of their own countries, not yet Europeans. On the one hand, we can enjoy shifts and visions in areas such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence or the environment. On the other hand, let's be honest, a huge number of poor people in Europe do not have access to drinking water. People want security, such as quality education, well-paid work, affordable housing and quality healthcare. Europeans want Europe to be fairer, more democratic, a safe place where everyone has the space to make their dreams come true. Today, our most important task is to make all the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe a reality. So that every child, every young person, has the opportunity to develop not only himself, but also his surroundings. We have before us many of the recommendations calling for far-reaching reforms. We can't afford to ignore them. Europeans want a more social, dignified Europe, a Europe where people live in prosperity and not in poverty.

Mr President. This is the third time I have asked my fellow socialists. Get rid of the evil. Get rid of the Smer party, which is an ulcer in Slovakia that needs to be removed. While responsible politicians were protecting lives during the poisoning, Smer threatened people with populism. As long as the responsible politicians are isolating the fascists, Smer wants to rule with them. Until responsible politicians turn a blind eye to Putin's assassination in Ukraine, Smer defends Putin's direction. There is no doubt that under the Fico government not only contracts but also judgments were traded. The state was de facto run by the mafia, which was willing to assassinate journalist Ján Kuciak in order to protect the business with Fico. They silenced their political opponents by discrediting them. It turns out they wanted to silence me, too. The police, led by the Smer Mafia, chased me in 2015. They also enlightened my mother, my nephews, nieces, my children, my wife and even my mother-in-law. These are the practices of the rogue mafia. Dear friends of the Socialist faction. You have nothing to do with the Mafia. Get rid of them as soon as possible. They have nothing to do with decent people.

Mr President, the last ten years have shown that having ambition, strategy or even money is not enough. On the one hand, Europe is setting trends in artificial intelligence, robotics, even space, on the other hand, it is unable to get drinking water to European regions where poor Roma drink water from the stream in the 21st century. We are able to develop cutting-edge technologies, but we cannot give education to Roma children. We are able to create millions of jobs, but we cannot give jobs to the European Roma. We are able to realize what we never dreamed of, but we cannot fulfill the dreams of Roma children. I myself have co-authored a number of resolutions concerning respect for human rights in countries outside the European Union. On the one hand, we see the suffering of the weak and helpless everywhere, and on the other hand, for too long, we accept the disastrous living conditions of our own Roma Europeans. I reiterate that we have a huge number of children without education, parents without work, that education systems in several countries are not able to prepare Roma children for the labour market. Today we know exactly where the shoe is pushing us. We have plans, even money. However, the situation has not improved, so it must be concluded that ambition, dear friends, is not enough. Any campaign, ambition without political will is doomed to failure. We see how many municipalities can successfully spend European money on bicycle paths, trams, cultural houses, but when it comes to projects for Roma, it stops there. The increase in racism and fascism is also due to the long-term inability to implement in European municipalities and cities what the European Union, but also the member countries, plan. We are on the verge of a new decade. It is our responsibility to ensure that the plans do not just remain on paper, but are felt by the Roma as well as by people living close to Roma communities. Dear friends, we can no longer ignore the dreams of Roma children. Roma children are also European children.

Mr President, let us be honest, we underestimated the education of young people. It is not enough to teach mathematics or physics. In addition to critical thinking, young people lack citizenship education. Before entering politics, I worked with young people for more than a decade and until recently, in hundreds of classes in Slovakia, I personally talked to students about extremism. We have invested a lot of money in digital skills. We talk a lot about ecology. But we have forgotten that young people are threatened by disinformation, lies or even nationalism and fascism, which is on the rise today. On the one hand, digital technologies allow us to progress, on the other hand, social networks influence us in particular, even educating a generation of young people who cannot evaluate the truthfulness of resources, who cannot compete with the manipulation of fascists, nationalists or extremists. One of the few programmes that effectively tackles the scourge of disinformation is Erasmus+. However, it is not enough, not every young person is going through this European programme. Europe cannot afford to educate young people with propaganda. Europe cannot afford to lose a generation of people who will one day run Europe or the Member States of the European Union. We cannot lose young people who are not brought up by truth, but by lies. We urgently need to put in place systemic measures that, in addition to physics, mathematics or chemistry, teach young people to recognize the truth and resist lies, disinformation, populism or fascism.

Mr President, a few days ago Slovakia was shaken by a video where one of the leaders of the Russian embassy in Slovakia directly corrupted fellow journalists who had been spreading Russian propaganda for a long time. This incriminating video confirmed that Russian agents have unfortunately managed to infiltrate or control some media in Europe. Yes, it is true that Europeans are grateful to Russia for fighting evil in World War II. But one thing to say is that Europe also has a bad experience with Russia. As it was in the 68th year, when the Russians did not like the vision of the world of Alexander Dubček, and with a huge number of tanks and rockets they invaded the territory of Czechoslovakia ready to kill. Just as ready to kill, they invaded Ukraine this time. But now they have perfected it. They kill not only soldiers, but also innocent civilians, even from the back. Dear friends, we would all like to see Russia on the right side, as it was in the case of World War II. Unfortunately, today, houses, apartments, schools, hospitals and, unfortunately, innocent children or civilians have been bombed after Putin's troops. Putin knows why he's sending his agents to Europe. Their goal is to disguise his bloody aggression with lies and propaganda.

Madam President, despite the fact that Ukrainians or nationals of other countries are fleeing Putin's tanks and missiles, not everyone gets the same help to escape to safety. I have long said that racism is on the rise in Europe, and unfortunately the information that comes to me from Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic or Moldova confirms this. I am concerned about information on unequal access to assistance for refugees of Roma nationality. The suffering of Roma women and children fleeing for fear of Putin's tanks is compounded by the unequal approach not only in Ukraine, but also, according to my information, after joining the European Union. After the war in Ukraine, everyone suffers equally – Ukrainians as well as members of minorities, including Roma. The Roma from Ukraine are as much refugees as all Ukrainians. To all the people of Ukraine, Putin took the safety, the home and, unfortunately, the lives of their loved ones. Dear friends, the life of every person fleeing war is of equal value.

Madam President, I stand here again today to appeal to the Social Democrats. The Slovak Smer-SD, which dishonors the principles of democracy, ridicules human rights and dances on the graves of the victims of Ukraine while helping to spread Putin's propaganda, must be distanced. The Smer party is increasingly open about post-election cooperation with fascists, spectacularly spreading dangerous hoaxes and disinformation. A few days ago, the leader of this party called the presence of NATO Allied troops a welcome to the Nazi Wehrmacht. However, Russian troops are referred to by another of the party's leaders as peacekeepers. I live in Slovakia. A few miles from us, innocent people are dying because of Putin's aggression. Thousands of innocent women and children come to us every day. They are fleeing the war. Dear friends of Social-Democracy, please do not get your name dirty and oppose the actions of Social-Democracy in Slovakia, which spreads delusions about the war in Ukraine and does not hesitate to cooperate with convicted fascists in Slovakia for a long time.

Mr President, Commissioner, Mrs petitioner, ladies and gentlemen, whether you like it or not, racism exists in Europe. It is rooted in our societies and is present in all spheres of our lives. Millions of people in Europe are exposed every day only because of the colour of their own skin to racism, which we can no longer overlook. Racism hasn't gone away from me either. Whether it was in the past, for example, when my wife and I didn't want to go to a restaurant just because we were Roma, or now, when I receive regular threats about the physical liquidation of me and my whole family. This is because we are Roma. Racism does not affect children. Many, such as Roma children, are subject to segregation, unequal access to education or even placement in special schools for disabled children in Europe, even though they do not have such disabilities. Dear friends, as a person who participated in this report, I want to believe that the report will contribute to the mission of the European Union, to the mission of the European Parliament and the European Commission to have a truly anti-racist Europe. This report is based on history, such as the Holocaust, which many racists, even today here in this House, say has not happened. We can also prevent the repetition of history by setting up curricula that tell the truth about the worst events in our European history. We must also not overlook what is happening in the media, which often support existing prejudices and stereotypes or ridicule members of other races. We also have manifestations of racism on sports grounds or cultural events. Dear friends, the fight against racism can only be won if we name things truthfully, without any wrapping in false empty phrases. The European Union has a chance not only to be a leader in digitalisation and computerisation or ecology, but also to be a leader in the fight against racism. Please don't waste this chance.