Debate contributions by Fabrice LEGGERI

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union is celebrating 40 years of the Schengen Agreement, but what exactly are we celebrating? The programmed failure of a system incapable of protecting peoples. This system, originally based on international cooperation, was however based on a simple idea: free movement could only exist if the external borders were strictly protected. This promise has never been fulfilled. The Commission has arrogated its powers to the detriment of States and has never carried out its mission. Since 2022, more than one million illegal crossings of the external borders have been detected, not counting previous waves. Meanwhile, the number of returns of illegal migrants to their countries of origin is ridiculous. Today, only smugglers and complicit NGOs have something to rejoice about. In the face, and in the face of this migratory submergence fed by M's pro-migrant ideologyme von der Leyen, states have no choice but to re-establish their national borders. The Commission dares to write – I quote – that ‘Schengen has become a resilient system [...], based on effective management of the external borders’. Brussels lives above ground. My group, the Patriots for Europe, demands a return to reality. We want the external borders of the European Union to finally be strictly protected so that free movement is truly possible, asylum seekers to be returned to centres outside the continent, illegal migrants to be returned to their countries of origin, NGOs complicit in smugglers to be sanctioned, police cooperation through Europol to be strengthened and, finally, the asylum and migration pact to be abandoned. If Brussels refuses to do the job, voters can count on my group to do it.

I listened well, I heard well, I also went to Israel and I heard victims, survivors. In my speech, I spoke about humanitarian aid and said that, if the European Union is to play a useful role, it must ensure that it is able to allow humanitarian aid access, but it must also ensure that this humanitarian aid is not diverted by Hamas. War is always something terrible; There are victims, innocent victims, but today in Gaza there are Palestinians who are victims of Hamas fanaticism, because Hamas uses the civilian population there as a human shield.

592 days ago, on October 7, 2023, Hamas revealed the most abject face of fanaticism: families massacred, women raped, children abducted and then executed with bare hands like the little Kfir Bibas. That day, humanity wavered. To this day, 58 hostages are still being held in Hamas tunnels. Only 20 are confirmed alive. It's been 592 days. Israel, like any free nation, has the right to live in security and the duty to defend itself against those who call for its annihilation. The European Union must demand, without weakness, the release of the hostages and, if it wants to play a useful role, it must protect humanitarian aid while preventing it from being used by Hamas. To recognize a Palestinian state without breaking with terrorism is to capitulate, it is to legitimize the executioners of October 7. Peace will not come from complacency, it will come from clarity.

Madam President, I would like to make a point of order under Rules 22(5) and 40(1) of the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure. On Monday 12 May, the German organisation Arbeiterwohlfahrt organised an immigration exhibition on Parliament's esplanade. At the information stand, the organiser distributed stickers inciting physical violence against the European agency Frontex and representing a Molotov cocktail, as well as leaflets sponsored by Islamic Relief, an organisation linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. We request clarification from the President: Did she approve this exhibition? Was she aware of the content of the stickers and leaflets distributed at this event? Did the European Parliament fund this event? We look forward to a firm response from you. We cannot tolerate, let alone welcome, an organisation which encourages physical violence against European Union agencies and which associates itself, at least indirectly, with terrorist organisations.

Mr President, for years we have been warning about the financing of entities with Islamist affiliations. The Islamic University of Gaza, Hamas' stronghold, received more than 1.7 million euros between 2014 and 2022. In Turkey, the Gaziantep University of Science, part of the Erasmus+ programme, paid tribute, I quote, "to the mujahideen of 7 October". In addition, associations receiving European funding have close links with the Muslim Brotherhood. Among them, ENAR, whose former director admitted to being part of this movement, was financed with 2.2 million euros for the period 2023-2026. Faced with these excesses, some political groups, notably the Greens, continue to support these entities, hindering any attempt to stop funding. We must put an end to this complacency. European taxpayers' money must not be used to finance our enemies. So yes, this Europe must choose its side. Does it want to continue to finance, even indirectly, those who glorify terrorism or finally defend its values, its security and its peoples?

Madam President, let us look at what is happening in Hungary, but also in France. For years, Viktor Orbán has been accused of flouting the rule of law and muzzling the opposition, controlling the media: Brussels indignant, threat of sanctions. But when this real muzzling happens in France, it is total silence. Today, Marine Le Pen, the candidate of millions of French people, is prevented from running in an election. An unjustifiable decision, because no recidivism is possible. This is a democratic scandal! What would it be like if Viktor Orbán's main opponent were prevented from running in the elections? In France, we are witnessing an unprecedented authoritarian drift: After the brutal closure of C8, a popular television channel, we are trying to neutralize the opposition. But where are those who denounced Orbán yesterday? Where are those who cried out for dictatorship elsewhere and are now turning a blind eye? All over the world, from Poland to Romania, Germany to the United States, there are attempts to eliminate the voice of the people. And now, it is in France that we seek to neutralize Marine Le Pen judicially. Our opponents know they can't beat us at the polls, so they try to eliminate us otherwise, but we won't let them. It is time to open our eyes, mobilize and defend the rule of law, for the respect of the people and democracy.

Madam President, five hundred and forty-three days. Five hundred and forty-three days and 59 hostages still held by Hamas, including 24 presumed to be alive. Five hundred and forty-three days of anguish and suffering. In Israel, we have seen the unspeakable: women raped before being massacred, families annihilated, children torn from their parents. The images were unbearable. Last week, a conference in the European Parliament told us this horror: mass rape used as a weapon of war, absolute barbarism. Yet some still turn a blind eye. The far left refuses to see the truth. It refuses to call Hamas a terrorist, spreads its hate propaganda and justifies the unjustifiable. But today, even in Gaza, people are rising up against Hamas, against those who use it as a human shield. Here, some are calling for an immediate ceasefire, without even demanding the release of the hostages – an unacceptable compromise. We say it here forcefully: There can be no peace without justice and there can be no ceasefire without the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Five hundred and forty-three days is already too much. Inaction and cowardice must stop.

Mr President, the European Commission is today presenting its Internal Security Strategy. Since the fight against terrorism is one of them, Brussels must set an example by finally stopping, as Marine Le Pen has been demanding for years, the disbursement of European funds to organisations close to the Muslim Brotherhood. Radical Islam, which kills, wounds and psychologically bruises thousands of our compatriots across Europe, does not have to be subsidised by the European Union. Brussels must also stop playing the ideological game of Islamists. On 29 March, the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe, the new name of the CCIF – an organisation banned in France – relayed a video by European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib. This was only possible because the latter echoed exactly the rhetoric of the Muslim Brotherhood. Finally, Brussels must put pressure on third countries to take back their illegally present nationals. Many indeed threaten our security. Otherwise, the European Union will become the main accomplice of those who want to destroy it.

Madam President, democracy is the right of peoples to freely choose their leaders. But in France, this right has just been violated. Marine Le Pen, leader of the opposition and favourite in the presidential election, was sentenced to ineligibility with immediate execution. While there is no corruption or personal enrichment in this case, the court has taken a political decision that deprives the French of their choice. The rule of law presupposes a right to a remedy. Here, the penalty applies immediately, even before any final judgment. This is an unprecedented drift. Will the European Union, always quick to give lessons in democracy, remain silent in the face of this instrumentalisation of justice? We will not let democracy be confiscated.

Mr President, in a hundred days, the new von der Leyen Commission is showing a worrying inconsistency. While it had promised more competitiveness, more simplification and stronger migration control, no concrete progress can be seen. European industry remains hampered by cumbersome bureaucracy, while illegal immigration is worsening. Faced with the rise of popular rejection, Ursula von der Leyen tries to rectify the situation, abandoning certain ecological commitments deemed too restrictive and hardening her position on certain issues. However, these adjustments seem opportunistic and lack long-term vision. Worse still, the Commission continues to assume a defence role, although this area does not fall within its competences, according to the Treaties. Rather than correcting its mistakes, Brussels persists in a centralising drift, moving ever further away from the expectations of European citizens. These hundred days confirm one thing: Under this presidency, the European Union is both inconsistent and disconnected from reality. There is an urgent need to change course.

Madam President, for years the European Union has promised to fight illegal immigration, but the reality has not changed. Today, the Commission is presenting a return regulation, but is this proposal really firm? No sanctioning mechanism is provided for third countries that refuse to take back their nationals in an irregular situation: Schengen visa restrictions and economic and financial sanctions. Without pressure, these countries will continue not to cooperate, leaving Europe destitute. Moreover, too many procedural safeguards weaken the effectiveness of evictions. Illegals can increase the number of appeals and benefit from automatic legal assistance. Worse still, unaccompanied minors and families with children are excluded from the proposed new measures. Without firmness towards them, the migration air call will continue. Appeals against expulsions will no longer be automatically suspensive, but judges will still have too wide a margin of discretion allowing them to delay removals indefinitely. Finally, verification of the age of migrants remains too lax. There is still no bone test, leading to excessive fraud. Brussels claims to act, but if Brussels really wants to act effectively, unnecessary compromises with those who will always seek to thwart the fight against illegal immigration must be rejected. We, the Patriots for Europe, will carry in this Parliament the voice of the 20 million voters who call for firmness against illegal immigration.

Madam President, a few weeks ago, we learned that the Commission was funding, through taxpayers’ money, a gigantic network of environmental NGOs, a veritable relay for its propaganda. Now we learn that the Commission is also funding other NGOs in various fields with hundreds of millions of euros. Behind this funding lies a genuine activist network that, with taxpayers’ money, encourages mass immigration, blocks expulsions and fights against states that defend their sovereignty. Brussels funds those who sabotage our democracies, spread Wokist poison or impose a punitive ecology on Europeans, while our industries collapse and our peoples become impoverished. It is time to put an end to this EU-funded propaganda. European money must be used for the benefit of Europeans, not for Brussels ideologies and its lobbies.

Madam President, Sweden, once a security model in Europe, is now plagued by gang violence. Shootings in the middle of the street, criminal explosions, entire neighborhoods under the influence of mafias: This chaos is the direct result of years of migratory laxity and culpable ideological blindness. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2023, Sweden recorded 53 homicides linked to gang wars, one of the highest rates in Europe. 76% of the main gang members are immigrants or children of immigrants. This crime, fuelled by massive immigration and the total failure of integration, transforms entire parts of the country into lawless zones. Even the Swedish Minister of Justice now acknowledges that this violence will take more than a decade to eradicate. After years of laxity, the Swedish government is now trying to save the furniture by considering the expulsion of foreign criminals. Because the responsibility for this security fiasco is political. It should be remembered that it was the political family of Ylva Johansson, former European Commissioner for Home Affairs, who governed Sweden by applying this policy of open migration without control. This same Commissioner, who explained just a few months ago that Europe does not have an immigration problem, bears a heavy responsibility for this security catastrophe. We must learn from this Swedish failure and be firm. What is needed now is zero impunity for foreign criminals and immediate deportation. We need a real legal and material rearmament of the forces of law and order. The European Union no longer has a choice, it must put an end to the massive immigration that feeds the failure of integration and fuels this violence. Sweden is a warning. If we do not act now, France, for example, will have the same fate. What we expect today is a Europe that protects its peoples, not a Europe of migratory chaos and security laxity.

Madam President, Commissioner Brunner, the latest UN report on the links between migrant smuggling and other forms of organised crime is overwhelming. Around 90% of migrants arriving illegally in the EU are smuggled. This includes kidnapping, extortion, detention, rape and exploitation. Under the pretext of combating this abominable trafficking in human beings, this report recommends, like the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, increasing the number of so-called safe and legal migration routes to the European Union. Therefore, to legalise illegal immigration. However, such pathways will not only never prevent parallel smuggling of migrants, but, worse, they will attract even more. When the report finds that harsher migration policies would expose migrants to aggravated forms of trafficking, it is still grossly mistaken. It is by massively discouraging migrants from coming to us that we will reduce the number of people trafficked. We, the Patriots for Europe Group, demand strong measures, both to protect our continent and to stop this trafficking. In particular, we want genuine external borders, the creation of a stability fund for asylum intended for the reception of migrants in third countries, asylum applications to be made outside the EU, the European Commission to finally finance physical barriers, the payment of official development aid to be conditional on the recovery of illegal migrants by their country of origin, family reunification to be drastically restricted and NGOs complicit in the mafias to be severely punished. The time is no longer for words, but for action.

Madam President, in Europe, millions of people with disabilities, visible or invisible, are abandoned by politicians who claim to defend solidarity, but forget most of it. In France, it was not until 2024 that a law was passed finally allowing the reimbursement of wheelchairs, and in the European institutions, including Parliament, the special needs of some colleagues are not taken into account. Meanwhile, billions of euros are being injected into the reception of migrants under the impetus of the European Commission, which is imposing ruinous quotas and reception policies on our states. How can we justify the fact that this money is not primarily used to guarantee an accessible school or transport, adapted aids or devices for the autonomy of people with disabilities? This European Union of elites, unable to protect its own, has no lesson in solidarity. We, the Patriots, defend another priority: putting people back at the centre, protecting our citizens and putting Europeans first, especially those who suffer and have been abandoned for too long.

I hope that the rule of law exists in Romania, and it is in order for it to continue to exist that I express what I have just said. It is absolutely astonishing to see, for the first time in history, it seems to me – at least for many years – that a presidential election in this part of Europe is cancelled between the two rounds – and, at the time it was cancelled, there was no basis, at least no evidence, they were just allegations. So, in general, the election judge, when it comes to the Constitutional Council, decides once the second round is over. That is what I meant.

Mr President, today, social networks like X or TikTok have become battlegrounds for our democracy. But let's not be naive: behind the beautiful speeches of Brussels on the fight against disinformation, there is a clear desire to muzzle those who really defend the people in the face of a system that confiscates freedoms. The European Commission claims to protect our democracies, but its solutions are always to monitor, censor and control. Removing anonymity or filtering content is another step towards a censorship society, and citizens know it: 64% of French people believe that violations of individual freedoms have worsened over the past ten years, according to a Senate figure. Today, the mindset promoted by the European Commission leads to unprecedented situations, where an election is interrupted between two rounds, without formal evidence. This is what is happening in Romania today. But let’s be clear, this is a precedent that could be replicated elsewhere in the EU to impose the system’s unique thinking. We Patriots stand for free public debate and accessible information. Social networks must remain spaces where everyone can express themselves freely, without fear of being gagged by a Brussels machine of ideological control.

Mr President, the latest Europol report highlights the culpable inaction of our leaders in the face of a growing terrorist threat in Europe. With 120 attacks recorded in 2023, it is European citizens who are paying the high price for this growing insecurity. Even more worrying: Jihadist terrorism remains the deadliest, causing the death of many innocent people. In addition, there have been hundreds of arrests for terrorist offences, mainly related to jihadism. What is the EU doing to stop this threat? Our borders remain sieves, the new European files of the entry-exit system for border control are at least three years behind schedule, extremist propaganda thrives online, and young people are targeted by destructive ideologies. We demand a start, which will necessarily involve the restoration of our borders, the systematic expulsion of individuals registered for radicalisation and zero tolerance towards those who jeopardise our security. It is time to finally protect the French and Europeans and defend our civilization against its enemies, who want its loss.

Madam President, the best interests of the child must be our priority in everything, but the European Commission is insidiously undermining this objective. The Commission promotes wokist aggression against the foundations of the family and pays NGOs to make us believe that all migrants in the world have an unconditional right to violate Europe's borders. Wokism and mass immigration are helping each other to destroy the future of our Europe. The first victims are children. In France, as in each of our nations represented in this Parliament, our children are indeed the first victims of wokist poison, this ideology that wants to rewrite our history and destroy our cultural landmarks. Today, children grow up in schools where our national identities are systematically attacked and where they are taught to be ashamed of themselves, to feel guilty for facts of the past that do not concern them in any way. This climate of guilt is unacceptable. We refuse to allow our children to be sacrificed on the altar of multiculturalism and the denial of our heritage. Leading this cultural battle and protecting our borders also means protecting their future. The fight against uncontrolled immigration is a fight for our children, for their right to a quality education, but above all for their right to be proud of their national identity, its history and its values drawn from the crucible of European civilization. The best interest of the child is to be protected from the evils of wokism and cultural relativism.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission’s intention may seem attractive. Who doesn't want to fight online hatred and radicalisation of young people? But be careful! Who will decide what is right or wrong? Do we really want to entrust this power to Brussels? Let us remember the episode where Commissioner Breton tried to ban the broadcast of the Trump-Musk debate on European social networks. Where is the freedom of expression? Last week, in the Civil Liberties Committee, our opponents denied the link between the rise of anti-Semitism and the arrival of non-European populations bringing their hatred of Israel. This is unacceptable. Do we want a thought police led by wokist lobbies eager to destroy our civilization? No, we don't want to. Let us not give the European Commission censorship powers. Let us protect our freedom of thought and expression, because democracy cannot be built on silence.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, seven years ago Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered. Why? Because she had dared to expose the underside of corruption in Malta. Corruption that – surprise, surprise! – would involve officials of the socialist government. Yes, that is what we are trying to stifle. Meanwhile, the investigation is not moving forward. Seven years of omerta. Seven years of guilty silence. Let us pay tribute to this journalist, as Roberta Metsola did. But let's be honest: it is a democratic nightmare that the European Union is letting journalists murder on its own soil. What a shame! We are constantly being told about the rule of law and European values, but when it comes to protecting the system’s cronies, suddenly Brussels is silent. And what about this investigation, which leads to nothing? Why? Because figures of Maltese socialist power might be involved? So we prefer to close our eyes, stifle the case and allow justice to rot. This is the European Union version of the rule of law. Two weights, two measures. When the European Commission has fun policing sovereign governments, such as in Poland or Hungary, it forgets to look at its socialist allies. When you are complacent about the corruption that kills, you have no lessons to teach. The Commission would do well to start by sweeping in front of its door. Enough of this hypocritical circus! Legitimate governments elected by their people are being attacked while the turpitudes of other corrupt governments are being ignored. The real scandal is there: Protected elites, two-tier justice. Meanwhile, the people of Europe are losing confidence because they see clearly that those who govern are only there to serve their own interests, not those of their citizens. So to the European Commission I say: “Stop meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations and start by putting your own ranks in order.”

Madam President, this debate is crucial because it concerns the financial assistance that the European Union provides to Hamas and more generally to Islamist organisations. The European Commission, on October 7, dared to deny any involvement, but the evidence is accumulating as evidence. European citizens deserve better than baseless denials. They demand the truth. Let's recall a few facts. The National Rally has seized the European Public Prosecutor's Office over a grant of more than 1.8 million euros to the Islamic University of Gaza, Hamas' infamous campus. A scandal that should resonate in all heads and awaken consciences. And what about the Turkish Islamic University of Gaziantep, integrated into the Erasmus+ programme in 2022? This university paid tribute, I quote, "to the mujahedeen of October 7", calling this date a "day of awakening". This is unacceptable. His rector doesn't even hide anymore. He openly supports Hamas, as do some of its professors. And even if the European Commission has just suspended a payment of 250,000 euros, thanks to our action, it is a shame! So how much more evidence does the European Commission need to open its eyes and definitively stop all support for organisations linked to terrorism? The money of the French and Europeans must not be used to finance our enemies. Europe must choose its side: peace or barbarism.

Madam President, a few days ago in France, a young woman named Philippine was brutally assaulted and killed by a Moroccan national. He was convicted of rape and subject to a deportation order. Similar tragedies happen every week in France and in many European countries. I denounce here the culture of laxity that disarms our national and European legislation. This laxity is the result of an ideology infiltrated into the institutions of the European Union and which gives ever more rights to migrants, in defiance of the right of the French and other Europeans to live in safety at home, protected by borders. This ideology promotes preference for foreigners and its propaganda claims that it is forbidden to ban illegal crossings of our borders. This ideology weakens our ability to return illegal immigrants to their country. To prepare for expulsions of aliens, administrative detention was once the rule. But for years, lobbying by pro-migrant NGOs and some political groups has made retention an exception. So we must act quickly and demand that European rules to expel illegal aliens be tougher.

Madam President, on 4 October, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered an unrealistic decision, exposing the Member States to an unprecedented migratory surge. Unfortunately, the right to asylum has already become a vast channel for legalizing illegal immigration, whereas it should only be granted on the basis of an examination of individual cases of persecution. However, this decision of the Court risks exacerbating the abuses of the right of asylum. In fact, it decided in its judgment that, in order to obtain refugee status, it is no longer necessary to establish that an Afghan asylum seeker is actually and specifically at risk of persecution if returned to her country of origin. For the Court, all Afghan women can obtain asylum solely on the basis, I quote, of "their gender and nationality". If the situation of Afghan women is tragic and we must support them in their fight for freedom, the European Union has neither the vocation to welcome them all, nor the vocation to welcome their whole family under family reunification, especially since there is not really a very reliable civil status in Afghanistan. I therefore ask you, ladies and gentlemen, to vote in favour of a debate on this judgment of the Court of Justice and its consequences.