On the evening of Tuesday 11 February, MEPs debated the rise of antisemitism, racism and hatred in Europe. This is a recurring topic in the Parliament and one that continues to be of great concern to MEPs.
"Antisemitism is killing people today. Once again, Europeans are afraid because they are Jews, many of them are going elsewhere. Even today, schools, synagogues and cemeteries must be protected", said Belgian MEP Frédérique Ries (RE). "Can we really say today that Europe is doing enough?" she asked the committee.
"I am sorry to say that no, we are still not doing enough and we all have an obligation to do much more", replied the Vice-President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová.
The Commission urged Member States to adopt their national strategies on antisemitism, which will enable concrete plans to be put in place in the areas of security and education, she said. "We want to see concrete action backed with money", she added.
These plans are still being developed and will be discussed during the German EU Council Presidency, she said, welcoming the fact that Berlin has already announced that antisemitism will be high on its agenda.
"Seventy-five years ago, we Europeans agreed on 'never again', yet in 2020, antisemitism is on the rise. Hate and intolerance in the EU is constantly on the rise", said Kati Piri (S&D, Netherlands).
The Dutch MEP also attacked political parties within the European Parliament that "feed the climate of racism and anti-migration with their rhetoric". "We cannot allow far-right parties, such as the AfD in Germany, Fidesz in Hungary, La Lega in Italy, to become the dominant voices in our public debate", she said.
These are words that did not please the MEPs of the Identity and Democracy (ID) Group. For Belgian Filip de Man (ID), the "real problem" is the "massive influx of Muslim racists who are responsible for 99% of antisemitic violence in the EU" and "the solution is borders".
On Monday, at the opening of the plenary session, the ID group had requested the addition of a separate debate on "freedom of expression in the face of rising religious fundamentalism", in reaction to the case of the teenage girl Mila in France - a proposal that was rejected by 278 votes. French MEP François-Xavier Bellamy (EPP) had also proposed adding this topic to the debate on anti-Semitism and racism, but this too was rejected. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)