What has happened today? What HASN’T happened today? As our reporter stepped onto Luxembourg Square right opposite the European parliament in Brussels, small groups of protestors had gathered there waving a number of red, white and green striped flags. What seemed to be an Iranian protest was confusing at first, as it was hard to tell by the flag alone which side the protestors were on. Looking for the familiar image of the lion with the sabre that have widely been used in protests in Iran and around the world and which was the original flag of the Iranian state under the Shah, our reporter was surprised when he spotted a yellow sun in the midst of the colour bars instead. Moreover, the protest seemed to be well orchestrated by a few suit-wearing and official-looking men with walkie-talkies, and who could easily be associated with Iranian embassy functionaries rather than an outburst of civil solidarity from its oppressed people.
The misapprehension was never serious enough, as the protestors looked more integre, empathetic and resolved than any regime figures ever could. The brief confusion lifted when one of their numbers stepped towards the sun-soaked tourists seated in one of the popular Euro bars next to the square to hand out pamphlets and explained the community behind the flag. These were Kurds and the sun spangled flag the flag of Kurdistan, a yet non-existent state of this Middle Eastern minority spread across Syria, Turkey, Iraq and indeed Iran. While none of them have had the chance for a political voice in their home countries, here at least in the Capital of the European Union could they unite and protest their plight alongside the rest of the Iranian population which is being massacred by the many hundreds and thousands by the Iranian regime.
So while this protest went on and the European Parliament had its doors locked for a typical Saturday as if the world would still respect weekends or heed inaction during non-plenary weeks of the parliament, developments on the ground kept a-going. Even though the Iranian dissidents seemed to have peen pushed back by the regime in the last days and Donald Trump has signalled rapprochement with the regime, American troops were filmed by the Associate Press patrolling streets in contested areas in Deir Heifer – that Kurdish fighters (SDF) had recently held, seemingly to deter any agression with their presence alone. While there is hope for a more peaceful future between Kurds and the new Syrian government after they signed a treaty at the behest of the US, the Kurds were here today in Place de Luxembourg to fight the regime in Teheran.
As the pamphlet stated, more than 1,000 deaths among the Kurdish Iranian population alone have been reported, many more injured and targeted by security forces. Within just a couple of days, a massacre of enormous proportions has happened in Iran, from which it is hard to see the country recovering from without full revolution against the Mullahs.
Then later in the day, a bombshell piece of news dropped which may have much greater repercussions in the long term than it may currently look like. Donald Trump has announced that the United States will be imposing additional tariffs on 8 European allies that have dispatched troops to Greenland in response to Trump’s threats to take over the island. Among them, not only Denmark but also France, Germany and the UK, who are all crucial allies in NATO. The tariffs of 10 additional percent would come into place on February 1st and increase by another 15 % by June 1st. This open escalatory measure by Trump in pursuit of directly violating international law and attacking an ally can only have the gravest geopolitical consequences, as it leaves no longer any room for misunderstanding the president. Long seen as a bully and flaunter of rules, this act in the economic realm which is only backed by the leverage he has on the EU in military support for Ukraine, will make him an enemy. Even when and if Trump is disposed at the next election in 2028, Europe will have to wake up to the fact that not only is it alone now, but also in the midst of a world of hostile powers, including the US. If that isn’t a wake up call, and the next weeks will make this clear – unless Trump is quickly impeached and or his powers significantly curtailed by Congress or the Supreme Court which is sitting to review the president’s executive powers over tariffs – the European Project at large is at stake. Naturally, that is Trump’s intention, and the directed tariffs at only those European states that are sending troops to Greenland versus those he sees as malleable like Italy, are supposed to be the wedge that drive the Union apart. In face of this, there can be no more important effort than to keep the European countries united. If this is a break or make moment, than to survive as a sovereign entity in the long term may well necessitate the creation of European political union. RSS
Maybe Canada would care to join such a project? Call it the Greater European Union.
Schwarz-Press 