Every bomb falling in Gaza, every rocket fired towards Tel Aviv, every shot fired in Donetsk, every bullet that kills in Kachin, in Darfur, in Las Anod or in any other ongoing conflict, is made by a human being. It’s an object made by a human being, used by a human being, to kill another human being. Every time a homophobic attack is committed, every time someones rapes, when a fight breaks out in a scho olyard, there’s a human being, inflicting terrible pain to another human being.
Our world is by nature incredibly violent. It speaks to our collective evolution, that we have set up rules and laws, to help us participate safely and fairly in groups and society. It speaks to our better ambition, that we have set up institutions like the United Nations, to cooperate together at a global level. We have evolved to the point where we have even set universal human rights. Rights for all human beings, regardless of where they are born, where or when they live. But we are unfortunately still a long way to go, as a universal, or earthly society of human beings, from being able to argue and guarantee for all Humans’ human rights. We still have a lot of building to do, to ensure human rights are always upheld, and everywhere. As rights, not options.
As our world collectively and selectively forgets, and turns violent again, we find ourselves, in Europe, once again preparing for war. Preparing to have the ability to defend ourselves in case of conflict. To give us the best possible chances of avoiding conflict. Because as much as we have evolved, we still live in a world that is often divided, and where interests between groups are not always aligned. Within countries, and between countries. Even between and within alliances of countries.
I’m so incredibly passionate about our European Union because it is, fundamentally, a guarantor of peace and security. A group of countries, with incredibly diverse histories, different cultures, different languages, different DNA’s choosing to work together, instead of letting neither thousands of years of history, nor their more recent bloody history, divide them. Countries that were shaped by the history of others, and countries that shaped global history, countries that experienced rises and declines to their civilisations — choosing to work together, in the pursuit of compromise, peace and cooperation, over conflict and disagreement. In the pursuit of our better ambitions. As long as this ethos, and our influence, expands, we will hopefully be able to keep sending a message of peace and unity, and that we would rather see countries working together, than apart.
Most of us, if not all of us, I hope, stand against every conflict, but I do not want to give you any illusions; none of us alone are capable of magically ending every conflict. In this Parliamentary Election, in Luxembourg, you get to pick 6 out of 720 Parliamentarians. We are all working, and giving it our all, to give you every reason, to help us strengthen the European Union, so that it is able to defend your rights, and privileges, and capable of influencing progress, peace and prosperity and uphold our agreed laws beyond our borders, from human rights, to the law of war and climate justice.
We face great threats, within and outside our borders. From people who seek to take advantage of our disunity, external actors like other states and organizations, and internal actors, more interested in an illusion of developing themselves, than strengthening the whole. Our Union is fragile. And disunion would be catastrophic.
The decision-maker, when it comes to how we will respond to all these challenges, and our ambitions for the future: that is each and every one of you, on the 9th of June. And in every election that comes after this, as long as we live in a democracy, and we are able to elect our leaders. I must have complete faith in all of you, to help us ensure, Europe remains a champion of hope, peace and justice. That Europe is empowered, so that we may continue to have a seat at the table of global negotiations.
Our world is far from perfect. If it were, myself and many other young people wouldn’t be so incredibly passionate about contributing to our shared decision making. We are entering positions of responsibility, when and where you empower us, to shape a better world. In the process, all of us learn our scope, and limitations. And we learn to navigate, armed with our hopes and dreams, a system that feels old and outdated (both in decisions entrenched in itself, and in the way it operates); to make our contributions. Contributions that represent our generation, and our wants, our needs, our priorities. Whilst recognising that the entire system must run in parallel to this progress. Because, much like a Computer’s Operating System, our entire world depends on it. And in the future, a younger generation, armed with its own hopes and dreams, will attempt to do the same. Just as it’s happened before.
The world did not begin when we were born, and probably not last Thursday, and it won’t end when we are gone. Some of us feel the need to take on more responsibility for the collective than others.
I am a son of two people who grew up poor, the grandson of an orphan of war, a descendant of generations of enslaved people, and inside me the feeling of responsibility runs strong.
Speaking for myself, I can only say that I know, in myself, that I am fighting for what I believe is right. That my conscience is clear, knowing full well, my intentions, which is to contribute, as little, or as much as I can to the world around me. To leave behind a world that’s a little bit better, a little bit more peaceful, a little bit more fair, and a little bit more sustainable. And I have, for years, made these intentions as transparent and available as possible.
Most of my positions and ideas are available here on my website.
Specifically on what’s happening in Gaza, I’ve written again and again, perhaps more about it than any other subject, about the importance of humanity and international law prevailing. I’ve stitched together videos, to show what I listen to. And I shared it with you, for reasons of transparency. But as I’ve publicly said, I do not plan to campaign pretending like voting for me would magically end what’s happening. And I believe other people’s plight should not become an electoral wager for politicians in third countries. Our priority must be to assist people and ensure the upholding of international law, in Israel, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in the wider region, on the ground. It is our collectively responsibility to ensure we are capable of putting an end to the destruction of indescribable proportions taking place today, and to put ourselves in the position of supporting what comes next. My priority is to contribute to the resolution, to be able to be a voice of reason, when and where I can, knowing full well, once again, my limitations.
Whether it’s in Gaza, in Ukraine or in Somalia. Whether it’s in China, in Mexico or Argentina. Whether someone is kept hostage, or killed without warning. Wherever human rights are violated, beyond empathy and shared pain, it threatens our civil liberties, as human beings, and we must always contest those who do not uphold the rule of law.
Most things are difficult to build, hard to maintain, and easy to tear down.
I am not looking to tear anything apart, I want us to continue building, ever-better, ever-together, ever-improving. It’s frustrating at times.. But that’s what it takes, to bring everyone on the same page, and build together.
I hope you will all find it in yourselves, to help us collectively pave the way for a European Union that has a positive impact, for itself and the world.
And one more thing
I’m running an election that mathematically, I can’t win.
Our candidacy is an underdog.
I am running to represent you.
To bring us closer together.
If that doesn’t make my commitment to the very essence of our democracy clear…
I don’t know what would.
Christos Floros 