STRASBOURG: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said Europe must ramp up its defenses to deter Russia’s “hybrid warfare,” after a catalogue of air incursions, cyberattacks and damage to undersea cables.
“These incidents are calculated to linger in the twilight of deniability. This is not random harassment. It is a coherent and escalating campaign,” the European Commission head said in a speech to EU lawmakers.
“Two incidents are coincidence, but three, five, 10 — this is a deliberate and targeted grey zone campaign against Europe, and Europe must respond,” she said.
EU countries Poland, Estonia and Romania have recently been rattled by Russian air incursions, while unidentified drones have been spotted in Denmark, Germany and Belgium.
European countries have already increased defense spending to post-Cold War highs in the face of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and doubts over US support under President Donald Trump.
Now the EU is seeking to hammer out plans for joint projects that could be built by the 27-nation bloc — including a “wall” of anti-drone defenses.
“We must not only react. We must deter because if we hesitate to act, the grey zone will only expand,” von der Leyen said.
“The founding mission of the European Union is to preserve peace, and today that means having the capacity to deter aggression and provocation.”
EU leaders will seek at a summit in Brussels later this month to agree on a “road map” aimed at getting the bloc ready to ward off threats from Russia in the coming years.
“This will not only set common objectives, but also very concrete milestones and timelines on the way to 2030 because we all know only what gets measured gets really done,” von der Leyen said.
The commission president insisted that tackling “Russia’s hybrid war” requires “a completely new mindset for all of us.”
“The choice before us is very simple. We either can shy away and watch Russian threats escalate, or we meet them with unity, deterrence and resolve,” von der Leyen said.
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EU ‘must respond’ to Russia’s ‘hybrid warfare’: von der Leyen
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EU ‘must respond’ to Russia’s ‘hybrid warfare’: von der Leyen
- EU leaders will seek at a summit in Brussels later this month to agree on a “road map” aimed at getting the bloc ready to ward off threats from Russia in the coming years
- The commission president insisted that tackling “Russia’s hybrid war” requires “a completely new mindset for all of us”
Tanzania police ban proposed rallies after poll violence
DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania’s police have banned proposed rallies next week, following a violent crackdown by security forces on election demonstrations.
Polls on October 29 erupted into days of violent protests over claims that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had rigged the polls and was behind a campaign of murders and abductions of her critics.
She was declared winner with 98 percent of the vote.
More than 1,000 people were shot dead by security forces over several days of unrest, according to the opposition and rights groups, though the government has yet to give a final toll.
Despite attempts to suppress information, anger within the east African nation has grown with some saying they will return to the streets on December 9.
In a statement in Swahili late Friday, police spokesperson David Misime said officials had seen the calls on social media but noted: “No identifiable person has so far submitted formal notification for the planned demonstrations.”
Citing police guidelines, the statement said that “given the unlawful tactics that have surfaced,” the proposed rally “no longer meets the legal requirements to be authorized.”
“Therefore, the Police Force, as of today, bans the planned demonstrations described as peaceful and indefinite,” it said.
The statement added calls for the proposed rally were being coordinated by individuals using “telephone numbers based both inside and outside Tanzania, as well as anonymous online accounts managed by persons outside the country.”
It follows a decision by Meta earlier this week to suspend the Instagram accounts of two Tanzanian activists after they posted images of the violent crackdown on election protests.
International criticism has grown, with the United States stating it would be “comprehensively reviewing” its relationship with the country following the election violence.
Polls on October 29 erupted into days of violent protests over claims that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had rigged the polls and was behind a campaign of murders and abductions of her critics.
She was declared winner with 98 percent of the vote.
More than 1,000 people were shot dead by security forces over several days of unrest, according to the opposition and rights groups, though the government has yet to give a final toll.
Despite attempts to suppress information, anger within the east African nation has grown with some saying they will return to the streets on December 9.
In a statement in Swahili late Friday, police spokesperson David Misime said officials had seen the calls on social media but noted: “No identifiable person has so far submitted formal notification for the planned demonstrations.”
Citing police guidelines, the statement said that “given the unlawful tactics that have surfaced,” the proposed rally “no longer meets the legal requirements to be authorized.”
“Therefore, the Police Force, as of today, bans the planned demonstrations described as peaceful and indefinite,” it said.
The statement added calls for the proposed rally were being coordinated by individuals using “telephone numbers based both inside and outside Tanzania, as well as anonymous online accounts managed by persons outside the country.”
It follows a decision by Meta earlier this week to suspend the Instagram accounts of two Tanzanian activists after they posted images of the violent crackdown on election protests.
International criticism has grown, with the United States stating it would be “comprehensively reviewing” its relationship with the country following the election violence.
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