Photo : A protester in a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Turkey. Source: Fr
24 March 2025, Monday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #1095
By Fleur Elizabeth Philip
DENMARK
US Second Lady Usha Vance to visit Greenland
On 24 March, US Second Lady, Usha Vance will be traveling to Greenland in the coming week. After US President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of the minerals in the Dane’s territory. Along with her, US Vice President JD Vance, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will be going to Greenland. On this trip, Vance will study the historical sites and Greenland’s heritage and watch the Avannaata Qimussersu, the Arctic territory’s national dogsled race. Usha Vance will witness the race and celebrate Greenland's culture and unity. (Karl Sexton, “US Second Lady Usha Vance to visit Greenland,” Deutsche Welle, 24 March 2025)
GERMANY
The upper house of the German parliament approves the spending law
On 21 March, Germany’s second chamber of parliament, the Bundesrat, voted in favour of the massive spending package proposed by the newly elected government. Approval from the Bundesrat represents Germany’s 16 federal states, which was necessary for the law to be passed. Bavaria raised concerns that the “Free Voters,” a junior coalition partner with the Conservative Social Union, would block the state's vote, but in the end, Bavaria gave its approval. Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Rhineland Palatinate rejected this law, and are considered as the opposition. (Wesly Rahn, “Germany: Upper house signs off on landmark debt reform plan," 21 March 2025)
THE NETHERLANDS
Protests for anti-discrimination and anti-fascism in the Dam Square
On 23 March, more than 10,000 gathered in Dam Square, Amsterdam, to fight against racism, fascism, and far-right policies. The demonstration was organized by Comité 21 Maart, an anti-racism association that came after the Day of Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This also included Amnesty International, Kick out Zwarte Piet, the Dutch-Palestine Committee, and Another Jewish Voice. Protesters raised the signs “Never Again” as they warned against the rise of far-right Europe. There was a wave of support towards Palestine after the current strikes by Israel. Turkey’s flags were raised in support of the Turkish for the release of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. These protests also took place in France; the French Interior Ministry announced that nearly 91,000 took part nationwide, calling to end racism and discrimination policies. Participants held placards against the plight of the Palestinians, accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of complicity, which they labelled as an unfolding genocide. Protests also took place in Lyon and Toulouse. (Malek Fouda, “Thousands protest racism, rise of the right in the Netherlands, France," Euro News, 23 March 2025)
SLOVAKIA
Protests continue calling for Prime Minister Fico’s resignation
On 22 March, thousands took the streets across Slovakia to participate in demonstrations against Prime Minister Robert Fico. Since the beginning of the year, thousands have rallied every night in Bratislava demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation. Protests began when Fico went to Moscow and met President Vladimir Putin to discuss Slovakia’s exit from NATO and the EU. Protests are only taking place where the dominant party is Fico’s party, Smer. Since Fico came to power in 2023, he ended Bratislava’s military and financial aid towards Kyiv, criticised the EU’s sanctions against Russia, and considers Ukraine President Zelensky as his enemy. (Malek Fouda, “Thousands of Slovaks protest in Bratislava against PM Robert Fico and his Russia-friendly policies,” Euro News, 22 March 2025)
SWITZERLAND
Government to reduce the exposure of smartphones and social media to children
On 23 March, Beat Hasler explained his experience as to how some opt to stay away from smartphones in an iPhone era. He explained that, as the Nokia 3210s became the new iPhone, his work in banking and administration, family and friends could sway him from the price of resistance: self-determination and freedom from the demand of always being available. In 2025, Hasler is one of those who prefer to remain offline, who don’t want to carry mobile phones, and who prefer to have physical conversations. Hasler stated that this is not a political move and often debates Switzerland’s right to remain offline. He added: “The amount of time people spend on social media, there is a huge amount of nonsense there.” He added that before WhatsApp or social media, you had to directly insult somebody or give them your opinion; when you can just write it, inhibitions disappear. He thinks that his grandchildren, who are addicted to social media are living in a parallel world. He worries that whatever is written online is not reality, disinformation, fantasy, or deepfakes and can become normal after certain exposure. 82 per cent are in favour of banning smartphones in schools and the Swiss government has banned social media for children below the age of 16. (Domhnall O'Sullivan, “‘It’s political’: why some people refuse to have a smartphone," Swiss Info, 23 March 2025)
TÜRKIYE
Mayor Imamoglu’s arrest sparks major protests, amid presidential elections
On 23 March, Turkey’s court officially arrested Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and is currently serving his time for his charges against corruption. The mayor was detained last week following a raid of his residence earlier sparking a huge wave of street demonstrators in Turkey. His imprisonment is considered as a political move to remove a major contender from the presidential race. Government officials have rejected the accusations of legal actions against the opposition figures that are politically motivated and insist that Turkey courts operate independently. The formal arrest came as his opposition Republican People’s Party began holding presidential elections to endorse Imamoglu as the presidential candidate despite the arrest. (“Imamoglu's arrest sparks Turkey's largest protests in over a decade,” Euro News, 23 March 2025)
Protests in Istanbul over authoritarian government
On 21 March, Deutsche Welle reported that the arrest made earlier has displayed shows of civil disobedience and it has been going on for a long time. Among the massive crowds in front of City Hall, many university students took part who were worried that their home would take a more authoritarian turn. Imamoglu’s arrest came days before his nomination for the presidency for the opposition party, the Republican People’s Party. Riot officers shot rubber bullets and pepper spray at demonstrators in Istanbul while members of the crowd threw lit flares. In the west, police used tear gas and water cannons. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said: “I invited tens, thousandsand millions to peacefully demonstrate, express our democratic reactionand exercise our constitutional rights.”(Julia Hahn, “We will resist!' Turkish students vow to support opposition,” Deutsche Welle, 21 March 2025)
REGIONAL
European Commission to remove the term “Rearm Europe” after Italy and Spain backlash
On 21 March, the European Commission confirmed it would remove the term “Rearm Europe,” for its multi-billion-euro project for European defence. This was agreed after the backlash given by Italy and Spain, who argue that the name is excessively charged and risks alienating its citizens. The plan is to improve the defence capabilities and production across the bloc, which will be known as “Readiness 2030,” which refers to the year by which Russia could have the necessary capabilities to launch its attacks against the EU or NATO. After European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal of the EUR 800 billion, Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni had openly expressed her discomfort. She said: “I believe that Rearm Europe is a misleading name for citizens because we are called to strengthen our defense capabilities, but today this doesn’t mean trivially buying armaments.” She added: “The focus should be wider and cover operability, essential services, energy infrastructures, and supply chains—all things that are not simply done with weapons.” Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, left no doubt as to his disaster for the term during a summit of EU leaders in Brussels. Like Meloni, the Spaniard pushes for a larger definition to include areas like cyber security, anti-terrorism, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and satellite connections. (Jorge Liboreiro, “Brussels rebrands 'Rearm Europe' plan after backlash from leaders of Italy and Spain,” Euro News, 21 March 2025)
INTERNATIONAL
IOM statistics on illegal migration show record-breaking numbers in 2024
On 21 March, the International Organisation for Migration reported the deaths of 8,938 in 2024, making it the deadliest since the statistics that began in 2014. Deputy of the IOM, Ugochi Daniels, said: “The growing number of migrant deaths is unacceptable and preventable.” Records show that in Asia, 2,778 migrants are under the Missing Migrants Project. The Mediterranean has a record of 2,452 deaths, and in Africa with 2,242 victims. Over the past five years, the number of deaths worldwide has been rising steadily. Smugglers and gangs often harass migrants to export while others are apprehended by authorities and detained in camps in appalling conditions, such as in Libya. According to IOM, migrants who leave their place, voluntarily or otherwise, tend to seek asylum because they are fleeing war or violence. (Dmytro Hubenko, “Migrant deaths reach record high in 2024, IOM says,” Deutsche Welle, 21 March 2025)