in brief
- US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has used a D-Day anniversary speech to appear to link immigration by sea to the wartime liberation of Europe.
- His comments echo those of other Trump administration officials.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently called upon Europe to address what he described as an “invasion” of its shores by migrants. His remarks came during the commemoration of the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings in France, a pivotal event of World War II.
Speaking at the American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, Hegseth emphasized the need for European nations to enhance their own defense efforts. His comments were part of a broader appeal for increased European involvement in regional security.
Notably, Hegseth did not attend the primary international ceremony held later that day, which paid tribute to the historic Allied landings that signaled the eventual conclusion of World War II.
“Regrettably, today we witness different European beaches being overwhelmed by harmful ideologies,” Hegseth remarked, highlighting his concerns about current challenges facing the continent.
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On “beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive,” he said.
“When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late?”
“May we learn from this past,” Hegseth said in reference to the pivotal involvement of US troops in the landings.
“The men buried here fought in a war-fighting alliance where every partner … brought its full measure of industry, courage and sacrifice,” he said in front of the 9,387 white crosses of US soldiers killed in action during the Battle of Normandy.
“Not empty slogans, not lavish summits, not communiques.
“Real allies doing real things, taking real losses for a shared cause worth fighting and dying for.”
Hegseth did not use the word immigration, but his remarks echoed broader Trump administration criticism of Europe over migration, borders and what US officials have described as censorship of nationalist and far-right voices.
On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office condemned Vance for blaming immigration for the killing of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old British student stabbed to death in Southampton, even though both Nowak and his killer were British.
In December, the Trump administration’s national security strategy warned that Europe faced the “prospect of civilisation erasure” and could become “unrecognisable” within 20 years.
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