27/01/2022 (Agence Europe) – The presidents of the European institutions paid tribute to the victims of the Shoah on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Thursday 27 January at an extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said there was a need to stand up against “conspiracy myths”, disinformation and violence targeting members of communities. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, warned that democracy “does not fall from the sky” and must be defended at all times against hate speech and conspiracy theories that “infiltrate our societies”. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed the importance of the strategy to combat antisemitism presented last year (see EUROPE 12805/26). (PH)