For ECR Co-Chair Patryk Jaki, the recent violence in France is a warning that Europe must restore public order, enforce its laws and regain confidence in the cultural foundations on which its societies are built.
Speaking in the European Parliament debate on the outcome of the 15–16 October European Council, in the presence of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, Jaki argued that years of permissive migration policies, weakened authority and hostility towards Europe’s own cultural heritage have contributed to a wider breakdown of social norms.
Jaki said:
“Many people think that this is only a problem of migration. But this is not true. This is a much bigger problem.
“For decades, we have been seeing destruction of Western culture and Christianity. And now, you are surprised that people on the streets cannot tell right from wrong.”
Jaki said Europeans who warned about the consequences of uncontrolled migration had too often been dismissed rather than listened to:
“Someone brought those migrants here. Someone gave them generous benefits from our taxes. And someone suppressed people who predicted that exactly this would happen. You call them fascists. You accuse them of hate speech. But yet, there were ordinary people defending traditional order, who in fact were the victims of hate speech.
“It was the hate of elites, detached from reality, who, while living in rich, gated communities, lecture others on how to integrate with migrants.”
For Jaki, Europe now faces a fundamental choice between continuing down the same path or rebuilding respect for law, order and its cultural inheritance.
He concluded:
“You were ashamed of Western culture. And now, we can see the result of this policy. You have replaced law and order with chaos and nihilism.
“And we want God. We want churches. We want to restore Western culture and kick out Marxism.
“And it’s up to you. Which will be the symbol of Europe? Magnificent cathedrals or masked migrants?”
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Jaki’s full speech reads:
Thank you so much, Mme President, Mme President, Mr President, Commissioners,
We must begin with the most important item on the agenda: security. You can see the product of your policy in France.
When I, on the one side, saw people crying on the street because they lost everything, teachers and police officers being humiliated, cities and historical landmarks burning, crime, rapes and a helpless state. And on the other side, no one is responsible for this.
But someone brought those migrants here. Someone gave them generous benefits from our taxes. And someone suppressed people who predicted that exactly this would happen. You call them fascists. You accuse them of hate speech. But yet, there were ordinary people defending traditional order, who in fact were the victims of hate speech. It was the hate of elites, detached from reality, who, while living in rich, gated communities, lecture others on how to integrate with migrants.
Many people think that this is only a problem of migration. But this is not true. This is a much bigger problem.
For decades, we have been seeing destruction of Western culture and Christianity. And now, you are surprised that people on the streets cannot tell right from wrong. Can you imagine young people who were taught to respect Europe, Western culture and heritage, and after that, they go and burn it?
You were ashamed of Western culture. And now, we can see the result of this policy. You have replaced law and order with chaos and nihilism.
And we want God. We want churches. We want to restore Western culture and kick out Marxism.
And it’s up to you. Which will be the symbol of Europe? Magnificent cathedrals or masked migrants?
