Belgian MEP Tom Vandendriessche has been reprimanded by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola for concluding that EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson’s call for more migration to combat Europe’s aging workforce amounts to “deliberate, organized repopulation.”
The lawmaker for the Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang party, which sits with the Identity & Democracy group in the European Parliament, commented on the remarks by Johansson, the EU’s commissioner for home affairs, who said last month that the European Union needs at least 1 million migrants every year to replenish its depleting labor force and called for the bloc to further “invest in legal channels for regular migration.”
“These are Commissioner Johansson’s literal words: ‘We need migration’,” Vandendriessche said of the comments on Jan. 16.
“She wants to bring an additional 1 million migrants to Europe, on top of the many millions we already have.
“In doing so, she wants to combat the aging of Europe’s shrinking population. So she literally wants non-European peoples to replace shrinking European peoples.
“That is, by definition, replacement migration, a synonym for repopulation,” the Belgian MEP added.
Vandendriessche’s interpretation of the commissioner’s remarks was met with scathing criticism from left-wing members of the European Parliament, including Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld, who accused him of using “Nazi terminology.”
The Flemish politician was subsequently investigated by the parliament for alleged hate speech, an investigation that has now been concluded and resulted in a reprimand by Metsola, the parliament head.
“It is not the first time that your use of this expression has raised a point of order in a plenary session,” the European Parliament president wrote in a letter to Vandendriessche on Feb. 8. “The use of this kind of language, with its connotations of the darkest times in European history, is unacceptable.
“Members of the European Parliament must always take into account the impression their speeches make on citizens and the emotions they can stir. We bear a great responsibility when we take the floor, to preserve the reputation of the European Parliament.
“We owe it to our citizens and to this House to behave in a respectful and dignified manner. Therefore, I ask you to refrain from making such statements in the future,” she concluded.
The term “Great Replacement” is being used increasingly more frequently to describe the effects of the open borders migration policy adopted by liberal Western governments, though users of the term are often chastised by European leaders.
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The surge in right-wing populism expected in the forthcoming European elections at a time when several member states are recording unprecedented levels of immigration and asylum applications perhaps indicates the concept of population replacement is resonating with European voters.
