Scholz rebukes Vance, defends Europe's stance on hate speech and far right

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered a strong rebuke on Saturday to U.S. Vice President JD Vance's attack on Europe's stance toward hate speech and the far right, saying it was not right for others to tell Germany and Europe what to do.

Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, the first day of the Munich Security Conference, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticizing German mainstream parties'"firewall" against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Vance met with the leader of the AfD on Friday, after endorsing the party as a political partner, a stance that Berlin dismissed as unwelcome election interference.

"That is not appropriate, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly reject that," Scholz told the conference on Saturday, adding there were "good reasons" not to work with the AfD.

The AfD, founded in 2013, is a nationalist party whose political identity centers around blaming immigrants for many of Germany's problems. Germany's domestic intelligence agency has placed the AfD under surveillance for suspected extremism.

Last year, the group became the first far-right party since the Nazis of the World War II era to receive the most votes in a state election. However, it has yet to be part of a federal governing coalition, due to a pact—also known as a “firewall”—by other parties to refuse to work with the AfD.

"Never again fascism, never again racism, never again aggressive war. That is why an overwhelming majority in our country opposes anyone who glorifies or justifies criminal National Socialism," Scholz said, referring to the ideology of Adolf Hitler's 1933-45 Nazi regime.

He went on to say that a commitment to "never again" also applies to political parties like the AfD, which has downplayed the horrors of the Nazi regime. He emphasized that Germany will not accept outsiders intervening in the country's elections.

Referring more broadly to Vance's criticism of Europe's curtailing of hate speech, which he has likened to censorship, Scholz said: "Today's democracies in Germany and Europe are founded on the historic awareness and realization that democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats. And this is why we've created institutions that ensure that our democracies can defend themselves against their enemies, and rules that do not restrict or limit our freedom but protect it.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added his voice to the defence of Europe's stance on hate speech.

"No one is required to adopt our model but no one can impose theirs on us," Barrot said on X from Munich. "Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Europe."

Ukraine

The prospect of talks to end the Ukraine-Russia crisis had been expected to dominate the annual Munich conference after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week. However, Vance barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech to the gathering on Friday.

Instead, he said the threat to Europe that worried him most was not from outside countries but what he called a retreat from fundamental values of protecting free speech - as well as immigration, which he said was "out of control" in Europe.

Many conference delegates watched Vance's speech in stunned silence. There was little applause as he delivered his remarks.

Asked by the panel moderator if he thought there was anything in Vance's speech worth reflecting on, Scholz responded with a deadpan remark that drew laughter and applause from the crowd: “You mean all these very relevant discussions about Ukraine and security in Europe?”

(With input from Reuters)