EP - Europe's politicians urged to show leadership in fight against anti-Semitism

European Parliament President Pat COX called on Wednesday on Europe's politicians to respond firmly to the resurgence of anti-Semitism across the continent. "Europe's political leaders must make it very clear that they do not accept anti-Semitism by taking a strong leadership position on the issue", he said. Mr. Cox was speaking at a Round Table in Strasbourg organised by Parliament's Committee on Citizens' Rights to discuss two reports on anti-Semitism launched at the European Parliament earlier the same day by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). MEPs from all political groups, as well as Jewish, Muslim and Christian representatives, took part in the discussions.

"Europe has a problem with anti-Semitism", says Monitoring Centre

Europe has a problem with anti-Semitism, through a growing rise of incidents across the EU over the last three years. This is the main message to emerge from the research conducted by the EUMC. It is the first time in the EU that data on anti-Semitism has been collected systematically across all 15 member states according to common guidelines set down by the EUMC. The main 344-page report details manifestations of anti-Semitism over a two-year period (2002-2003). A second report looks at the perceptions of Europe's Jewish community, presenting a personal insight into their feelings in reaction to incidents described. Four dimensions of the phenomenon are highlighted: Christian anti-Jewish tradition, far right anti-Semitism, anti-Semitism on the left and Muslim anti-Semitism.

The phenomenon clearly manifests itself more strongly in some countries than others. The research shows that there has been a noticeable rise of anti-Semitic incidents in five member states: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Incidents include physical assaults, graffiti, hate speech, threats, harassment by letters or phone calls, attacks against synagogues or other Jewish property and vandalism. Whilst physical assaults are absent or relatively rare in Greece, Austria, Italy and Spain, a virulent anti-Semitic discourse persists in many aspects of daily life in these countries. Finally, in Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Finland, there is very little reported evidence of anti-Semitic incidents of any kind.

In many EU member states, no data is available on the perpetrators of these acts. In others however, the report refers to two main groups. Firstly, in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, Italy and Austria, one group is referred to as "activists from the extreme right, and young men influenced by extreme right ideas, including skinhead groups". Secondly, with the exception of Italy and Austria, victims have often classified perpetrators to be "young Muslims", "people of North African origin" or "immigrants".

Finally, the study calls on member states to act upon the information provided. For example, the EU needs a strong legal framework to support policy actions. It should also set up an efficient data collection system to record future incidents accurately. Teachers have a crucial role to play, as do intercultural and interfaith dialogue platforms. On a more positive note, the report stresses that there are many examples of good practice in member states, which provide a good basis for tackling the problem and should be extended across the EU.

MEPs and religious leaders respond

The Round Table began just hours after the reports were released. "Is there a problem with anti-Semitism in Europe? The report tells us that the answer is yes", said President Pat COX in his opening address. Referring to the approach of the European elections, he appealed to all political forces to "build a coalition of positive political engagement" by signing up to the Charter of European Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society. "When you are informed, if you choose not to act, then you become an accomplice yourself", he added. Finally, President COX congratulated the EUMC on its work and recalled Parliament's role in its creation, in 1997. "As a budgetary authority, we must reflect on its resources to ensure that the cancer of anti-Semitism is dealt with", he concluded.

According to Beate WINKLER, the Director of the EUMC, "the main question that this report raises is: how will Europe deal with multiculturalism and its diversity in the future?" According to the findings of the study, "racist incidents decrease when political leadership makes it publicly clear that there is zero tolerance for xenophobia". She added that the crisis in the Middle East has had an impact on the increase of anti-Semitic acts. "But it is not for us to judge the foreign policies of EU member states. We are tackling the issues of human rights". On behalf of the EPP-ED, Swedish MEP Charlotte CEDERSCHIOLD underlined the values of tolerance that lie at the core of EU integration. "Why has this phenomenon developed? If we knew more about this, we could also deal with other fields of discrimination", she said. Anna TERRÓN I CUSÍ (PES, E) emphasised the lack of awareness in Spain of the need to fight anti-Semitism. Olle SCHMIDT (ELDR, S) said "We must not listen to the sound of the 1930s here in Europe. We may call this phenomenon a 'new anti-Semitism' but it's as old as our history". On the issue of hate speech spread on the Internet, he exclaimed: "Internet is producing a hell of a lot of shit!"

According to many MEPs, the turmoil in the Middle East has had damaging consequences for religious communities in Europe. "Anti-Semitic arguments cannot be accepted in discussions relating to the Middle East. But if we criticise Israel, we must not be accused of anti-Semitism either", said Jonas SJOSTEDT (EUL/NGL, S). Daniel COHN-BENDIT (Greens/EFA, F) described two types of anti-Semitism. "The first form originates from Catholicism, as portrayed in Mel Gibson's new film. The second is more complicated. I call it the 'anti-Semitism of the Arab streets', where Jews are 'over-assimilated' to the State of Israel". According to Mr Cohn-Bendit, the only solution is for "Palestinians to fight against anti-Semitism and for Jews to fight against anti-Maghreb racism". In the view of Ilka SCHRÖDER (Greens/EFA, D), the report had "one main error". She believed that the rise of anti-Semitism was related to "EU policy against Israel" and to "anti-Zionist propaganda in the European public". Alima BOUMEDIENE-THIERY (Greens/EFA, F) believed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had its roots in Europe. "When young Arabs identify with Palestinians, it is because their parents were also victims of colonisation. We must not make these people feel guilty. They are not all anti-Semites", she emphasised.

Representatives of religious communities also expressed their views. "This report is a balance sheet of what we have been feeling for the past three years", said Cobi BENATOFF, President of the European Jewish Congress. "This report is a clear sign that European leaders are taking the phenomenon seriously. But we must now bring our efforts to the streets, schools, churches and mosques". According to Amir ZAIDAN, Director of the Islamic Religious Studies Institute in Vienna, "Muslims are not just perpetrators of such acts, but also victims". He criticised the way the report describes the two groups of perpetrators. "Religion is mentioned for 'Muslims' but no religion is attributed to 'white young people', he explained. Bernard XIBAUT, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Strasbourg, argued that the Christian community occupied an ambivalent position. "On the one hand Christianity is at the roots of anti-Semitism. On the other, we must build a bridge between Jews and Muslims".

Winding up the meeting, Jorge Salvador HERNANDEZ MOLLAR (EPP-ED, E), who chairs the Citizens' Rights Committee, underlined the need for dialogue in future and stressed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could not justify acts of violence in Europe.

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