Brussels, 14/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Parliament (EP) paid tribute to the victims of the attacks which took place in Norway on 22 July. These acts serve to demonstrate, EP President Jerzy Buzek said, that terrorism is not just an “external” threat and show that everything possible has to be done to defend what he called “Europe's internal integrity”, that is, its values which are not up for debate.
The grief of the people of Norway is our grief; these attacks are attacks on us all, said Swedish MEP Gunner Hökmark on behalf of the EPP, calling for firmness in defence of the model of society so violently challenged. Beyond condolences and sadness, the leaders of the political groups defended the multicultural society that was Anders Brevik's target. S&D Group leader Martin Schulz (Germany) stated that Brevik had killed because he wanted the ideal incarnated by the young people to have no future. We have not only to think about the victims but also to challenge this ideology of intolerance and xenophobia, said Schultz. He quoted, from among the many letters received after the attacks, one from a fellow MEP, Italian Mario Mauro, not a Socialist but a member of the EPP, who said that he viewed this attack as one against himself. Though he acted alone, Anders Brevik, said ALDE Group leader Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium), is the product of a society, of a community of bloggers who despise the world in which they live. Political leaders, he went on, must condemn this ideology “which exists against the background of a narrative which describes the situation in Europe as dramatic, and in which it is not possible to trust any democratic government”. Verhofstadt recalled the words of US President Bill Clinton on the Oklahoma bombings: “Our words are not neutral. They enter into an echo chamber from which they travel through space”. Reflection must follow sadness and fear, stated Greens/EFA Group leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Germany). The young victims supported the idea of multicultural solidarity, yet in some EU countries it is argued that multicultural society has failed. It is in these words, he said, that the beginnings are to be found of an ideology of hate which refuses to acknowledge “what has become reality for us, the multicultural identity of Europe today”. Cohn-Bendit roundly criticised the comments of Jean-Marie Le Pen, who had said that the problem was not the massacre but the naivety of the Norwegian government with regard to its multicultural society. Le Pen offered a stern defence, stating that it had been naive not to have put security measures in place.
Yes, this was an attack on our values and our democracy, stated Commissioner Cecilia Malmström: it must now open our eyes to the dangers of right-wing extremism and an ideology of hate that must be vigorously rejected. Norway reacted with dignity and firmness; let us follow her example, she said. (L.G./transl.rt)