For the ECR Group, the violent unrest seen in France, Italy and Belgium in recent days shows the need to draw a clear line between the legitimate right to protest and organised violence, looting and attacks on law-enforcement officers. In a debate initiated by the EPP and ECR Groups in Strasbourg today, ECR MEPs stressed that political grievances can never justify attacks on police, businesses, public buildings or private property.

ECR speakers blamed the radical left for helping to fuel the escalation and pointed to uncontrolled immigration, years of political complacency and the erosion of respect for authority as underlying factors. They argued that European societies need greater resilience and a stronger determination to defend public order, democratic institutions and those who protect them.

French ECR MEP Nicolas Bay said:

“These clashes are neither accidents nor mere instances of unrest getting out of hand: this movement, initially exploited by the far left, has now fallen into the hands of hordes of thugs of foreign origin who are looting for their own gain. This is the true outcome of decades of uncontrolled immigration.

“We have allowed individuals to settle on our soil who respect neither our laws nor our police, and who view our cities as territory to be plundered. It is an alliance between far-left militias who engage in destruction and common thugs who engage in theft.”

Head of the Fratelli d’Italia–ECR Delegation Carlo Fidanza said:

“Antifa is present in Milan today. They are fine-tuning their approach. They are using social inequality as a justification, and they are lighting the flame to provoke law enforcement. Second-generation immigrants are looting and destroying everything, and they are livestreaming it.

“They don’t care about schools, housing or social inequality. It’s not even just vandalism. We are looking at a strategy of chaos. What’s more, we are facing a deliberate plan of aggression towards our cities and our Western civilisation. The healthy forces of society must react to defend our democracy, our freedom, our history and our identity. Anyone who tolerates this or looks the other way is complicit.”

For the ECR Group, particular attention must be paid to the growing pressure on police officers and other public servants who are increasingly confronted with violence while carrying out their duties.

Flemish MEP and ECR Coordinator on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Assita Kanko said:

“What we’ve seen in recent days in Paris, Limoges, Brussels and Milan is unprecedented and an attack on the very foundations of our civilisation. The police have long been under fire, but now they’re literally under fire. The rhetoric of the far left, here and in town halls, is something we’ve never seen before. Politicians must play a role in setting an example. They must support the police and law enforcement, and they must also speak out against violence.

“Let’s look at the facts: violence against the police is part of a wider social problem. Social norms are being questioned. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about teachers, firefighters or police officers. We are talking about European standards and values. Let’s have respect for those who are building and protecting our European societies. That is the most important thing we can do.”