‘Long live freedom’: Milei blasts socialism, abortion in Davos speech

Argentina’s new president is trending on X, formerly Twitter, after an impassioned speech given at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos which blasted socialism, abortion, population control, and social justice campaigns.

Javier Milei, who was elected president of the South American country in December, warned that the west is “in danger,” and is endangered by those who are supposed to “defend” the values of the west. 

The firebrand President cautioned that the West is in danger because of socialism and abject poverty, unless it embraces free markets. He warned that western leaders have “abandoned the model of freedom” during the fiery address.

The 53-year-old who won the Presidential election with 55.7 per cent of the vote, slammed a “vision of the world that inextricably leads to socialism” at the annual WEF event, being held in Davos, Switzerland.

“I’m here to tell you that the western world is in danger and it is endangered because those who are supposed to have to defend the values of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inextricably leads to socialism and thereby to poverty,” Milei told the special address.

While the World Economic Forum (WEF) turned the comments off on their YouTube video of Milei’s speech, social media was ablaze with commentary. Commentators praised Milei’s “surprising” and “extraordinary” address, which they said “stunned” the audience.

“Unfortunately, in recent decades, motivated by some well-meaning individuals willing to help others and others motivated by the wish to belong to a privileged caste,” Milei said.

“The main leaders of the Western world have abandoned the model of freedom for different versions of what we call collectivism. We are here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world. Rather, they are the root cause.”

He also urged business and political leaders present to reject socialism and embrace “free enterprise capitalism” to address world poverty.

In the 25-minute speech, Mr Milei strongly denounced socialism, while rallying against “radical feminism” which he said had led to increased State intervention. 

The State is “not the solution,” he said, but rather “the problem itself.”

He also blasted abortion, telling the crowd, “We all have the same rights granted by the creator,” describing it as “a bloody agenda.”

“The only thing that this agenda of radical feminism has resulted in is greater intervention by the State to hinder economic growth, giving work to bureaucrats who did not contribute anything to society, whether in the format of the Ministry of Women or in international organisations dedicated to promoting this agenda,” he said.

“They maintain that human beings damage the planet and that it must be protected at all costs, even going so far as to advocate for population control mechanisms or the bloody agenda of abortion,” he said. “These harmful ideas have strongly permeated society.”

He was also scathing of social justice campaigners, who he said were “not just and do not contribute to the wellbeing of the people”.

The audience cheered as he ended his address by shouting, “Long live freedom, dammit!”

Since taking office, Mr Milei has outlined a series of economic plans as part of his “shock therapy” approach which includes introducing the dollar and abolishing the country’s central bank.

Last week, the libertarian President pledged that the institution would be shut down “sooner or later”.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has travelled to the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering, with the government announcing the news in a press statement.

Speaking ahead of his departure for Davos, the Taoiseach described the trip as a “valuable opportunity” to engage on various issues. 

“As global and business leaders meet in Davos, the world is facing many challenges, not least Russia’s war on Ukraine and the devastating conflict in the Middle East,” he said.

“This year will also see major elections take place around the world, some of which could have particularly important policy and geostrategic consequences. Technological developments, such as AI are moving forward at pace and we need to make sure we are well positioned to make the most of the opportunities they present, while also guarding against negative risks for our societies and democracies. 

“Meanwhile, we also need to step up our efforts to end the climate crisis. My visit to Davos is a valuable opportunity to engage on these pressing issues with leaders from the political and business worlds as well as NGOs.

“I will also take the opportunity to engage with political colleagues on the desperate situation in Gaza, the urgent need to secure a humanitarian ceasefire and to press for the establishment of a secure and viable Palestinian State alongside a safe Israel, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine after almost two years since Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion.

“I will be highlighting Ireland’s enormous economic potential – there are more people employed in Ireland than at any time before, we have a rich pool of talented and innovative workers, and in an uncertain world we are well-positioned to manage external shocks. Ireland remains a great place in which to invest and do business.”