UAP in Europe: now is the time!

As the debate is finally opening up on the European stage, citizens have a unique opportunity to make their voices heard and finally break the omerta, with a standard letter to send to MEPs.

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

OPINION / THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEW OF SENTINEL NEWS

20 years ago, I gave up on a career in journalism despite having a degree in my pocket. 

Paralyzed by the responsibility of such a role, and by the rigorous investigation required to do the job properly, I went away working in real estate, and then teaching.

Well into the undergrowth of this professional labyrinth, I stopped thinking about my journalism school a long time ago, now covered in brambles and weeds.

2021. A combination of clicks and mild curiosity led me to read a document: an Australian government report on the US attitude to UFOs from 1971.

"Really? UFOs exist? Governments report on them? 

UFOs exist?"

As surprising as this revelation was, it was another that turned my worldview upside down: a government friendly to the USA was accusing its ally, via the CIA, of running a disinformation campaign against the public since 1953, ridiculing the entire subject and witnesses alike. 

So for 40 years, I've laughed at UFOs and UFO nuts, only to realize (like General Twining in 1948), that the phenomenon was "real and not visionary or fictitious", and that I'd let myself be manipulated by an American intelligence agency. An unbearable realization for a Frenchman, one of whose rare moments of national pride was the late President Chirac's opposition to the war in Iraq. A war launched on fallacious pretexts already put forward by the United States.

One thing led to another, I researched, I dug, I read. Inspired by an American initiative, I ended up using my rusty pen to question my MP. Surprise: I got an answer. I posted it on Twitter/X. I got invited to take part in YouTube shows. I became a recurring guest. I ended up co-hosting a specialty channel, and for the past year, I've been writing for Sentinel, even exchanging emails with the Pentagon. And there you have it. It took UFOs to bring me back to journalism. 

To tell the truth, I could have done without it. As mentioned above, the work of a journalist, if done properly, is demanding, not to say somewhat thankless: verifying information, seeking multiple sources, soliciting reactions, constantly striving for objectivity and the related self-censorship... 

All this to painstakingly produce articles that only few will read - except for the title. Why then impose this contradiction on my natural laziness, cutting into my precious free time as a trainer/musician/gamer/involved father?

The world "educated" by the CIA

That damned CIA again. The "education" campaign undertaken in 1953 worked so well that even today, the mainstream media dare not devote the usual resources to this subject of undeniable geopolitical significance. Only a handful of journalists dare to associate their name with this subject, which makes the under-informed TV or radio host chuckle so much in tongue-in-cheek sequences, safely cradled with the X-Files lullaby.

So here I am, journalistic training in hand, with no reputation at stake, doing what needs to be done, with the Sentinel team: monitoring the news, writing up the facts, informing the public, relaying the opinions of whistle-blowers, witnesses, scientists and MPs who contradict the official word and the status quo. My hope: That all journalists will finally take up the subject, without fear for their careers, and that the public will finally be treated as responsible individuals, and not as docile, fragile sheep.

To this end, and to force fate, I continued to send letters to French deputies. After a few timid replies, it is now clear that our Assemblée Nationale is far behind the US Congress, which is fighting tooth and nail against the Pentagon and the CIA to inform the public on the subject. The intervention of the French Minister of Industry, clumsily answering a question on UAP posed on the Agora web platform, did nothing to improve France's image.

A painful paradox: France is applauded by connoisseurs worldwide for having created GEIPAN, the first UFO office, and for having produced the Cometa report, which prompted the New York Times to bring UFOs back into the public arena in 2017 - and yet, the subject has had a hard time landing in Europe... Until now.

Earlier this month, Member of the European Parliament Francisco Guerreiro addressed the Parliament, urging it to tackle the subject, and even submitting a proposal to amend European civil aviation rules to include the reporting and investigation of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.

The Portuguese representative didn't stop there, as he will be hosting, this Wednesday in Brussels, a conference on UAP, in the notable presence of former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, who witnessed before the US Congress in July 2023.

Citizen power

Could UFOs finally shake off the accusation - as frequent as it is under-informed - of being an American obsession? I think so. Impatient as I am to see the mainstream media show the appropriate curiosity (and impatient to get back to my video games too), I intend to do my bit as a European citizen to encourage this process of transparency, and finally shake off this torpor that has lasted all too long.

That's why I'm proposing that you all write to your MEPs, using the template below, to call on the European Union to support MEP Guerreiro's initiative. Admittedly, the power of a simple letter may seem insignificant... like a ballot paper. However, when added to other ballots, it elects and influences political choices. It seems to me that a letter is no less powerful - perhaps even more so.

70 years ago, the CIA made a decision that still impacts us today, with legitimacy coming - in principle, and with several degrees of separation - from the people. 

Well. 

I am the people, and so are you. If, like me, you feel that the United States has overstepped the mark by shutting down the conversation, and that its allies have remained too passive, then it's time to Chirac the hell up. Exercise your power as a citizen. 

Given the current geopolitical instability, it may be now... or never.

Dear Madam / Dear Sir,

The United States has recently created an office to study Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). Some American MPs are accusing their own government of a lack of public transparency, and are working on legislation to put an end to this situation. 

I hope that the European Union will take up this issue, organize a public debate, and encourage citizens to speak out and bear witness in a less stigmatized climate. 

I ask you, as my representative, to support the Individual Motion for a Resolution to update Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014 on civil aviation safety, to include the reporting and analysis of UAP, made by Portuguese MP Francisco Guerreiro.

Please let me know your position on this matter.

Respectfully.

You can find your MEP's name and postal address here.

You can also send a message via the European Parliament's online contact form.

UPDATE MARCH 29, 2024

Next June, new European elections will be held. Here's a sample letter to send to the candidates.

Mrs XXX / Mr XXX,

As I have to decide on my choice of candidate in the forthcoming election in which you are taking part, I would like to ask you to tell me where you stand on the subject of UFOs, also known as UAPs.

US Congressmen are talking more and more about the subject, have heard witnesses and a whistle-blower in a televised hearing, and have passed laws requiring their armies to publish information. Some MPs are accusing their own government of a lack of public transparency.

On our continent though, witnesses continue to be mocked, and it's still very difficult to talk about UFOs in my circle of friends, even though it's a subject taken seriously by France's official UFO office, GEIPAN. I hope that Europe will catch up with the USA.

Will you undertake to support any initiative aimed at advancing the subject in your future functions if elected, taking over from outgoing MP Francisco Guerreiro?

I look forward to receiving your reply.

Respectfully

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0