"Far-Right 'Patriots' Summit in Madrid: European Leaders Unite to Praise President Donald Trump"
Madrid, February 9: Leaders of "Patriots for Europe," the third-largest voting bloc in the European Parliament, praised Donald Trump's return to power at a rally held in Madrid on Saturday. The event took place under the slogan "Make Europe Great Again."
The summit featured Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, France's National Rally (RN) party leader Marine Le Pen, Netherlands' PVV party leader Geert Wilders, and Spain's far-right party Vox leader Santiago Abascal.
In his speech, Orban said, "The Trump tornado has changed the world in just a few weeks... yesterday we were heretics, today we're mainstream." Around 2,000 supporters present at the rally waved Spanish flags in support of these statements.
During the summit, the speakers voiced anti-immigration rhetoric and called for a new "Reconquista," referring to the medieval Christian kingdoms' effort to reclaim Muslim-controlled parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
Additionally, the speakers criticized "wokeism," a term used to describe left-leaning political views on issues related to race, gender, and sexuality. They also mentioned European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose names were met with loud expressions of disapproval from the audience.
The Patriots group was formed after the May 2024 European elections and consists of 86 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from 14 countries, representing a combined 19 million votes. Their first official summit was held in Madrid, where Patriots' president Santiago Abascal, who leads Spain's Vox party, hosted the event.
