The full transcript of the passionate, anti-war speech by Julia Mendel, the former press spokeswoman for Ukraine’s acting President Volodymyr Zelensky, has now been published Sept. 17 on [Mendel’s substack site](https://iuliiamendel.substack.com/p/they-tried-to-ban-my-speech-i-gave
). She had been denied access to the European Parliament building on Sept. 16 so her presentation was given by video. Mendel states:
“So let me be perfectly clear. Everyone who is willing to fight Russia with Ukrainian blood while ignoring the suffering of ordinary people—is acting against Ukraine and against democratic values. To defend Zelensky’s policies today is to defend a status quo that is an Afghanistan path for Ukraine and a historical shame for the West.
“If you truly want to fight Russia, go to the front. Do not censor the Ukrainians who call for peace. To sit comfortably in the West and attack those who demand an end to the slaughter does not make you a hero. It makes you a hypocrite.
