Four months after the Hamas attacks in Israel, MEPs were called upon to debate the need to combat the rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hatred on Wednesday 7 February, following a declaration by the EU Council and the Commission (see EUROPE 13345/6). This session took place against a backdrop of tensions exacerbated by recent events, in particular antisemitic acts, the frequency of which has increased alarmingly.
Several MEPs, including Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew Europe, Bulgarian), have criticised the European Union for lagging behind on these issues. Mr Kyuchyuk stressed that the roots of antisemitism and islamophobia are deeply rooted in European history, and that current measures focus more on the consequences than the causes. Although he acknowledged the importance of the measures proposed, he considered the funds allocated to be insufficient. Martina Michels (The Left, German) shared this view, calling for more concrete action.
Emmanuel Maurel (The Left, French) expressed his dismay at the resurgence of antisemitism, a phenomenon he thought had been relegated to history. He also condemned the use of Israel’s actions in Palestine to justify antisemitism. Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, Spanish) and Miguel Urbán Crespo (The Left, Spanish) stressed the need to distinguish Judaism from Israeli policies, while combating islamophobia.
Evin Incir (S&D, Swedish) described antisemitism and islamophobia as “cancers of society”, highlighting the normalisation of racism on social networks. However, Assita Kanko (ECR, Belgian) and Bernhard Zimniok (ID, German) expressed differing opinions. Ms Kanko found associating antisemitism with islamophobia inappropriate, while Mr Zimniok denied the existence of islamophobia, which he considered to be a manipulated concept.
Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA, German) used a ‘blue card’ to question Bernhard Zimniok about accusations levelled against his party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), concerning extreme and antisemitic positions, referring to ideas regarding the “ deportation of Jews and Muslims to ghettos”. Mr Zimniok replied that his party was quick to react against extremism.
MEPs also recognised the need to combat hatred within the Parliament itself. Peter Pollák (EPP, Slovakian) stressed Parliament’s responsibility in strengthening extremists and called for the propagation of hatred to be punished. “It is a disgrace for this Parliament that patent fascists are also present in it”, he stressed. Alice Kuhnke (Greens/EFA, Swedish) expressed her concern about the dissemination of hate speech and conspiracy theories by some elected representatives. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)