International investigative commission into the terrorist attacks on Nord Stream

Speech by Sevim Dagdelen to the plenary on 10 February 2023 during a general interest debate on the topic of “Attacks on German and European infrastructure”.

Madam President! Ladies and gentlemen! At the time of war, journalism in our country is often carried out under the motto of “The American President declared, the Federal Government announced, the police informs”. Throughout his entire career, internationally-renowned investigative reporter Seymour Hersh has always positioned himself against ‘press release’-style journalism that attempts to peddle government standpoints and rattle the credibility of any criticism of government actions.

Today, this goes as far as having privately-financed so-called fact checkers work on undermining war policy opposition and all but officially declaring what is deemed correct and what is not.

From the revelations about the US massacre in My Lai during the Vietnam War to our present day, Seymour Hersh has understood journalism to be more than merely the production of truths at the direction of the state. It is all the more striking that his revelations regarding the acts of terror presumed to have been carried out by the USA and Norway have played practically no role whatsoever in public service media or in mainstream media outlets.

And it appears that the Federal Government itself has neither the strength nor the will to properly investigate these terrorist acts. Hiding behind the Federal Public Prosecutor General simply isn’t a strategy that can pursued until the end of time.

I by no means wish to presume why there appears to be this lack of willingness to investigate on the part of the Federal Government. What are the real reasons? Maybe we don’t need to jump to the assumption that Federal Chancellor Scholz and Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock wouldn’t even venture out to buy a loaf of bread without first getting permission to do so from the US administration.

Yet it is becoming obvious to an increasing number of people in Germany that the Federal Government’s dispensation with an independent, diplomatic foreign policy approach that cannot be equated with entering into the serfdom of the USA threatens to become a growing problem for the security of the population.

If, however, you as the Federal Government wish to counter the impression that you have no real interest in investigating the matter of terrorist attacks on the supply of energy via key gas pipelines, then I call upon you as the Federal Government to at least refrain from preventing the creation of an international investigative commission, ideally under the aegis of the United Nations, ladies and gentlemen.

In the past few hours, a peace manifesto – against the escalation of arms supplies, for a ceasefire and peace negotiations – has been published, with 69 intellectuals and artists, from Reinhard Mey to Katharina Thalbach and the son of Willy Brandt, Peter Brandt, among the first signatories, and which I too have signed. This appeal states:

As citizens of Germany we cannot have a direct influence on America and Russia or on our European neighbours. Yet we can and we must hold our government and Chancellor to account and remind them of their oath: “to protect the German people from harm.”

And this is also what I expect of the Federal Government when it comes to the investigation of the terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines.

Those who recall their oath of office must now urgently pursue this matter, regardless of the fact that the revelations so far indicate that our own ally, the USA, is responsible for this terrorist attack on our country.

There was a clear statement by US President Joe Biden on 7 February last year. At a press conference with Federal Chancellor Scholz, he said:

If Russia … invades, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.

I also wish to remind you of the public joy expressed by Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland about these terrorist attacks. The President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen had declared following the attacks:

Any deliberate disruption of active European energy infrastructure is unacceptable and will lead to the strongest possible response.

End quote.

I sincerely hope that this statement still applies now that the Federal Public Prosecutor General sees no evidence of Russia being the perpetrator, and that the Federal Government would also find the strongest possible response to a terrorist attack on German and European infrastructure.

Thank you.