MEP Clare Daly warned that "Crane is quickly escalating into a wider horror" and accused the parliamentary chamber of inaction while debate escalates. She said voices opposing the rush to war are being smeared as traitors and labelled pro-Russian, and insisted opposing war is not anti-European or anti-Ukrainian.
Accusations of smears in the chamber
She criticised colleagues for attacking and silencing those who challenge the rush to war, saying dissenters are smeared as traitors, cronies, "Putin puppets" and "Kremlin stooges". Daly called the crude slurs emanating from mainstream EU parties pathetic and dishonest.
Comparison to historical propaganda
She compared the rhetoric in the debate to tactics described by Herman Goering, arguing that threats and smears can be used to bring people to war. Daly warned that words are being twisted and meaning subverted in ways she said mirror those historical techniques.
Argument against war and who it harms
Daly argued that opposing war is not anti-European, not anti-Ukrainian and not pro-Russian - she described opposition as common sense. She said the working class of Europe have nothing to gain from the conflict and everything to lose, and she reiterated her opposition to all war.
Criticism of selective armed support
She criticised those calling for arms to Ukraine for not making similar calls to arm the people of Palestine or Yemen. Daly said she will not apologise for opposing all war and refused to be scapegoated or labelled for her stance.
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Crane is quickly escalating into a wider horror and from what I can see practically nobody in this chamber is doing anything to prevent it. In fact most people seem to get off on the fact that it's escalating and at this precise moment of course as usual the voices challenging the rush to war are attacked and silenced, smeared as traitors, cronies, Putin puppets, Kremlin stooges, Russian ages, frankly it's pathetic. And I don't make the comparison lightly but the crudeness and cynicism of these slurs coming from mainstream EU parties might as well have been written by Herman Goering who infamously said that even though people never want war they can be brought to war with threats and smears. He said all you have to do, tell them they're being attacked, denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing their country to danger, it works the same every way. Where you, where he led, you are following. This House should be ashamed of this debate. Words are being twisted, meaning subverted and the truth turned on its head. Opposing the horrible madness of war is not anti-European, it's not anti-Ukrainian, it's not pro-Russian, it's common sense. The working class of Europe have nothing to gain from this war and everything to lose. And I find it laughable that those calling for arms to Ukraine never call for arms for the people of Palestine or for the people of Yemen. Unlike you, I oppose all war. I want it stopped. I make no apology for that and I'm not going to be scapegoated and labelled for it either.
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