During his address, the Hollywood star stated that the world is currently going through the "darkest" period in recent times, accusing the President of the United States, Donald Trump, of dismantling the great ideals that historically defined his nation.
Gere, 76, did not hold back in his criticism of the American president, whom he labeled as "maniacal". According to the actor, since the beginning of his term, Trump has worked to systematically destroy "almost everything that was good" both in the government and in the American people. "In weeks, he dismantled the United States", Gere insisted, emphasizing that, although the country never reached perfection, it always had a perfect ideal to strive towards and a remarkable capacity for self-correction that now seems lost.
One of the darkest points of his speech was the comparison to Nazi Germany. After recalling his emotional impact from visiting the Dachau concentration camp, Gere reflected on how quickly a society can transform to the point where ordinary people become "monsters". Under this warning, he alerted about the rapid spread of "dictatorships of monsters" and the world's fragility in the face of these radical changes.
The activist also attributed Trump's return to the White House to the passivity of the citizens who "fell asleep" and chose not to vote. In a self-critical exercise, Gere acknowledged his share of responsibility by admitting that he did not work skillfully enough to convince his acquaintances of the "madness" that the current president's election represented. His final message was an urgent call for constant vigilance, urging the audience not to be seduced by the comfort of having a home, food, or money. "We cannot get comfortable... It's not right. It's never right!" he exclaimed to the forum attendees, where the International Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent was also awarded to the Chinese artist Gao Zhen and the Burmese dissident Sai.