How do we defend free speech – without falling prey to extremism? | Kenneth Roth

JD Vance says Europe should not shun far-right parties. He seems to have forgotten 1933, but hits a key conundrum

In his speech last week at the Munich Security Conference, JD Vance pressed European leaders to stop excluding extremist parties from government. Alluding in particular to Germany's neo-Nazi Alternative for Germany, or AfD, he accused European leaders of running in fear of your own voters". The US vice-president underscored the point by then meeting with the AfD candidate for chancellor.

In his view, these extremist parties should be welcomed into the mainstream because they reflect voters' concern about migration. He evidently was not troubled that the AfD also has a history of using Nazi rhetoric, making racist and antisemitic comments and plotting to overthrow the German government.