On Monday 16 September, the European Commissioner for Financial services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness, addressed a plenary session of MEPs in Strasbourg to denounce the resurgence of antisemitism and hate speech in the European Union.
This phenomenon, which has been of particular concern since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023 and recent events in the Middle East, is accompanied by a general rise in hate crimes and hate speech targeting various communities.
Mairead McGuinness opened the session by pointing out that “hatred in all its forms goes against our fundamental values”. Citing a survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights published in July, she pointed out that 96% of people of the Jewish faith in Europe have experienced antisemitism (see EUROPE 13451/26).
As in February (see EUROPE 13346/15), following the example of Mélissa Camara (Greens/EFA, French), many MEPs expressed their concern and called for urgent action to promote coexistence and combat violence.
Lukas Mandl (EPP, Austrian) and Ana Catarina Mendes (S&D, Portuguese) focused on education to combat antisemitism and hate speech. According to Lukas Mandl, “education is the key” to ensuring that Jewish life thrives in Europe, while Ana Catarina Mendes pointed out that “educating our young people in tolerance” was essential.
In addition to antisemitism, MEPs stressed the urgent need to combat other forms of racism, in particular Islamophobia. Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew Europe, Swedish) noted the similarities between the Jewish and Muslim communities, which are often the victims of hatred and prejudice. “Extremists on all sides are fanning the flames of fear and hatred between them. This is a dangerous exploitation of racism that threatens our unity and our democratic values”, she warned.
Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, Spanish) added that the fight against racism in all its forms was enshrined in the Treaty on European Union, while calling for stricter application of existing legislation.
Attacks on the LGBT+ community were also discussed. “LGBT+ people face messages of hate and violence, which I can’t even read here because of their offensive nature. They are mocked, denigrated and humiliated”, said Eleonora Meleti (EPP, Greek).
The debate also focused on the proliferation of online hate speech, particularly on social networks. Mairead McGuinness referred to the revision of the Code of Conduct aimed at combating these practices as part of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR, Dutch) affirmed the importance of a legal framework to control these abuses: “It is essential to ensure that our laws are applied to protect all our communities, especially the most vulnerable”.
Faced with these situations, the European Commission has already taken measures to ensure the safety of Jewish communities and to combat all forms of hatred. Mairead McGuinness announced the allocation of €5 million to fund the protection of Jewish places of worship, schools and community gatherings, and pointed out that coordinated action with Europol aims to remove hateful content online. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)