Scholz sharply criticized Wentz, mocking the absence of the topic of the war in Ukraine from his speech.

Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz sharply condemned U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance's attack on Europe's stance regarding hate speech and the far-right, stating that no one will dictate to Germany and Europe what to do.

Source. This was reported by Reuters.

Vance criticized European leaders in his speech, accusing them of restricting freedom of speech and condemning German parties' reluctance to cooperate with the far-right "Alternative for Germany" (AfD).

"This is inappropriate, especially among friends and allies. We condemn this unequivocally," Scholz said at a conference on Saturday, adding that they have "compelling reasons" not to collaborate with the AfD.

"There will never be fascism, racism, or aggressive war again. That is why the overwhelming majority in our country stands against anyone who glorifies or justifies criminal National Socialism," Scholz stated.

On Friday, Vance met with the AfD leader, which Berlin views as interference in the elections set for February 23.

Regarding Vance's criticism of restrictions on hate speech in Europe, which he compared to "freedom of speech," Scholz responded:

"Democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats. That is why we have established institutions that ensure our democracies can be protected from enemies, and that the rules do not limit our freedom but safeguard it."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barbier also added his voice in defense of Europe's position.

"No one is obligated to accept our model, but no one can impose theirs on us," Barbier said in Munich. "In Europe, freedom of speech is guaranteed."

Vance was expected to discuss the prospects for negotiations to end the Russian war against Ukraine, but the U.S. Vice President barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech.

Instead, he stated that the threat to Europe that concerns him the most is not Russia or China, but what he called a retreat from fundamental values in protecting freedom of speech, as well as the migration issue, which he claimed has "spiraled out of control" in Europe.

In response to accusations about Elon Musk's interference in European politics, Vance remarked that Europe would have to tolerate the businessman for "a couple of months," as the U.S. managed to tolerate Greta Thunberg.

"If American democracy has managed to survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg's criticism, then you can endure Elon Musk for a couple of months," he said.

Many delegates at the conference watched Vance's speech in stunned silence.

When asked by the panel moderator if he found anything in Vance's speech worth pondering, Scholz elicited laughter and applause from the crowd when he calmly replied, "Are you referring to all these very relevant discussions about Ukraine and security in Europe?"

Background. As reported, J.D. Vance criticized Romania in Munich for overturning the election results in which a pro-Russian candidate won. He stated that "the threat does not come from Russia or China, but from within Europe itself," which does not respect freedom of speech.