Could time of darkness be the time for reinvention, resistance and courage?

OUR STATEMENT ON THE RESULTS OF THE USA ELECTIONS

The election of an openly misogynistic, homophobic, racist, convicted felon to the Presidency of the United States of America is an affront to all those who believe a better world is possible. This election result makes many people at the forefront of violence across the world even more vulnerable and the vast majority of us more unsafe. 

Today is not a day for casting blame on how we have come to this situation, it is a day for finding comfort and strength amongst our networks of friends, family and colleagues, a day for reaffirming that this politics is not acceptable, and for finding the courage that will be needed over the coming years to push back this tide once again. 

As one of the wealthiest and most powerful parts of the world, as a place that claims to have learnt from its own dark history, Europe must now take an even larger responsibility for bringing about a planet that is more democratic, more just and more livable. The European Union must simultaneously promote and reinforce these objectives inside and outside of Europe and practically find allies and partners where it can: Europe is no bastion nor fortress, it is a crucial node in a planetary ecosystem which is currently deteriorating. Each of us in our everyday relations, in our political actions, in our collective efforts, can contribute to providing the sustenance this system needs to transform, and the way we do it together is crucial to set the culture of the new system we bring into being.