The head of global rights group Amnesty International called on European nations on Monday to stand up to US President Donald Trump and other global “tyrants”, warning that continued appeasement could undermine the post-World War II rules-based order.
“We need much more resistance,” Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard told AFP on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. “Europe’s credibility is at stake.”
Her remarks come at a time of escalating tensions over Trump’s repeated threats to take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. European countries must stand firm against coercive tactics such as tariffs and military threats, she said.
Trump’s Greenland threat will spur European unity
Callamard’s intervention follows Trump doubling down on his plans to take Greenland, saying the move is necessary for global security. European powers, including Germany and France, have condemned his threats of new tariffs on countries opposed to his Arctic ambitions as “blackmail”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned Trump’s approach and stressed Europe’s desire to “avoid any escalation” of the dispute ahead of his planned meeting with Trump in Davos on Wednesday.
“Say no” to bullies
Amnesty chief has called on governments to show courage and reject unilateral deals.
“Stop thinking you can make deals with bullies, stop thinking you can agree to the rules of predators and don’t fall victim to them,” Callamard said.
She called the dispute over Greenland the latest symptom of a broader global trend that she sees as destructive to international norms.
“The US effort to seize Greenland is just one indication that the world is facing the destruction of the rules-based order,” she warned.
Global order under threat
Callamard criticized several powers for undermining the international system established after World War II.
“The superpowers seem intent on destroying what was put in place after World War II, dedicated to finding common rules for our common problems,” she said.
She pointed to Trump’s actions over the past year, Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza as evidence of the system’s erosion.
“The fact that it is now being destroyed without any plan B, just for the sake of destroying the rules, should send chills down our spines,” she added, warning that the alternative was “falling into an abyss”.
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European values and human rights
Callamard stressed that Europe’s mission goes beyond the economy.
“The European project was not only about economics, but also about values, humanity and the rule of law,” she said. “I hope that our leaders will remember this… history and see in the current challenges a way to insist once again on the European project and demand the protection of human rights for the sake of humanity.”
She called for an end to the “policy of appeasement” towards Washington.
“Please stop. Resist. Resist,” she concluded.
(With AFP inputs)
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