French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday in Dresden about the spread of the extreme right in Europe and called for further aid to Ukraine because it is also about security in Europe.
“Everywhere in our democratic societies, ideas coming from the extreme right are spreading… this corrupt wind is spreading across Europe, it is a reality. We must finally wake up,” Macron said in his speech outside the renovated Dresden Cathedral, which was in completely destroyed in the Allied bombing.
On the second day of his three-day visit to Germany, in his speech, Macron made a specific reference to Hungary, where “European money is welcome”, but the independence of the judiciary and the media is not respected.
“There is a fascination for authoritarian regimes. Just a few kilometers from us . . . But Europe is not self-serving but a common base of values and culture of individual and political freedom,” Macron said during his 40-minute speech, which was interrupted by applause.
“It is a great honor for me as the first French president after German reunification to speak here in Dresden. I am not speaking in the East but in the heart of Europe,” Macron said in German.
He also defended European support for Ukraine, which is defending itself against the Russian attack.
“What is at stake in Ukraine is the security of Europe. Neither France nor Germany are safe anymore if the rule of the stronger wins in Ukraine,” Macron said.
He said, considering the great skepticism especially among the citizens of East Germany towards the aid to Ukraine, that a common European attitude towards this issue is crucial.
“We are not waging war against the Russian people, but we also cannot allow an authoritarian, revisionist regime like the one in Moscow to threaten Europe,” Macron said.
He once again emphasized the need to increase Europe’s defense readiness and end strong reliance on the US.
Macron began his three-day state visit to Germany on Sunday with a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and continued on Monday with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Holocaust Memorial and a speech in Dresden.
The visit ends on Tuesday with a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and a joint meeting of the German and French governments.
