The re-election of Donald Trump as U.S. president should act as a “wake up call for all democrats and progressives in Europe”, the co-chair of the European Greens, Mélanie Vogel, has commented.
The European Green Party described Trump’s re-election as posing a ‘profound challenge to global political stability’, adding that Europe will need to step up and become a ‘beacon of hope and democracy’ in the years to come.
‘The EU, already facing more frequent extreme weather events due to climate change, will have to oppose Trump’s damage to climate policy,’ the party noted. ‘Europe must take a leading role in addressing the severe climate crisis.’
Europe will need to pick up the mantle and become a beacon for freedom, diversity and democracy on the world stage, ramping up its support for Ukraine and intensifying its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, the party added.
“We need to live up to the existential need to defend democratic values, to guarantee fundamental rights and to protect the common good,” Vogel added. “As European Greens we will do everything we can to ensure that the EU moves forward towards more unity, ambition and alliances with other parts of the world.”
‘A dark day’
Elsewhere, Thomas Waitz, co-chair of the European Greens, believed that Trump’s return to power is a “dark day in the U.S. and globally”, as well as a threat to freedom of speech.
“We will keep resisting the far-right the world over, and continue to build alliances to fight it. In a world of fear, the European Union must become a beacon of hope,” he said. Read more here.
‘Devastating implications’
Elsewhere, Greenpeace USA described the election outcome as having potentially ‘devastating implications’ for human rights, democracy and the future of the planet.
“As an environmental and climate justice organisation, we must resist attempts to roll back environmental and climate protections in place—plans that have been clearly outlined in the Project 2025 blueprint,” commented Greenpeace USA executive director Sushma Raman. “We must lean into the intersections between climate justice and democracy protection, given the increasing attacks on freedoms of speech, assembly, and association.
“Resistance to the Trump agenda and advancement of a progressive vision for the United States and the world are key for our organisation’s relevance and survival in 2025 and beyond. Now is the time to move forward in a united manner with creativity, courage, and boldness.” Read more here.
