US Vice President JD Vance criticized the use of “firewalls” in Europe during a visit to Munich, where he met with Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Vance said there is no place for “firewalls” in democracy, drawing comparisons with authoritarian governments.
Vance’s comments were met with pushback from top German officials, including Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Pistorius called Vance’s comparison of European conditions to those in authoritarian regimes “unacceptable,” while Scholz rejected Vance’s views as “unscientific.”
The criticism came after Vance lectured European leaders about the state of democracy, warning that free speech was “in retreat” across the continent. He also urged European officials to stem irregular migration.
Vance’s meeting with Weidel followed a similar encounter with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The vice president also met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and opposition leader Friedrich Merz during his visit.
German mainstream parties say they won’t work with AfD, but polls put the party in second place ahead of the February 23 election. Vance’s comments have sparked debate about the role of far-right parties in European democracy.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/germany-munich-vance-free-speech-election-33e720b820e61db9d5e478e63b4a4dc7