Sermonizing on Europe’s persecution of “thought crime” and Orwellian raids against anyone in breach of “feminism,” Vice President Vance issued a beatdown on what he deems a “backslide away from conscience rights” in Europe at the Munich Security Conference last week.
The UK was placed under particular scrutiny; the Safe Access Zones Bill which criminalises intentionally influencing, obstructing, or harassing workers or patients within 150 metres of an abortion facility, places the “liberties of religious Britons in the crosshairs,” according to Vance. Letters had been distributed to homes in these buffer zones in Scotland, he claimed, warning residents that even private prayer could amount to breaking the law and urging them to report those guilty of “thought crime.” Vance’s language is characteristic of Trump’s Republican Party; paranoic, decrying a New World Order that is always on the brink of taking over, and above all vilifying measures taken to protect the rights of the vulnerable, specifically women. And yet, despite the clear erosion of shared values, Vance still refers to the UK as a “dear friend” to America, invoking the historical transatlantic bond. His tone is almost threatening; conform with the US or risk the alliance.
Vance’s claims are easy to debunk or debloat; indeed, the European Commission can ask a social media site to restrict access to users, but only in the case of threats to people’s lives. Private prayer in Britain simply does not fall under the remit of the Safe Access Zones Bill, and the Scottish government has denied issuing any letters suggesting otherwise. The raids Vance refers to are most likely those that took place in Germany last year; the “anti-feminists” in question were suspected of advocating rape and assault online. An earlier German investigation exposed a group chat of as many as 70000 men sharing tips and sometimes footage of assault and rape, even offering up female relatives for other users to violate, as in the case of Dominique Pelicot, who invited men online to rape his wife Gisele numerous times over a period of nine years. When such behaviour is left unchecked, the consequences are harrowing, and yet Vance, in line with the Republican Party’s bigotry, has no issue with this. Since its election, the party has continued its attack on women’s access to abortion, with Trump reinstating the Mexico City Policy in January. This halted billions of dollars worth of aid to organisations providing, assisting, or advocating for abortions worldwide. This assault on women’s safety and agency cannot be disregarded by Europe because of America’s apparent allyship. Remaining tight-lipped is no longer an option.
For Trump, preserving the transatlantic alliance no longer seems to be a top priority anyway. Although Vance dwells on the importance of “shared values,” the president has expressed his intention to exclude EU powers from peace talks with Putin and this week suspended arms shipments to Ukraine a total departure from Starmer’s commitment to send in British troops if needed Transatlantic relations have survived through critical disagreements before; NATO, particularly France and Germany, vehemently opposed the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq in 2003. But considering the lack of military cohesion, Trump’s proposed tariffs on EU goods, whispers of improving trade with China, and US withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council and Paris Climate Convention, it seems the president has already turned his back on Europe.
Continued deterioration of relations will undoubtedly bring consequences. The alliance promotes free flow of goods and capital between its partners; further souring could cause economic slowdowns and loss of investment. A lack of transatlantic unity could limit NATO’s ability to respond to security threats and shift the spotlight on the world stage to China and Russia, for example. But this deterioration is already underway. Vance’s address in this light represents an attempt to scapegoat Europe for the decay of the transatlantic alliance, a decay already set about by Trump. A decay that is necessary, however, where the safety and freedom of women are concerned.
“U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance Participate in a Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Ahead of The Presidential Inauguration” by Arlington National Cemetery is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.