The European Commission will designate coordinators for antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred. This was announced at the Commission’s first annual Colloquium on fundamental rights held on October 1-2, which is discussing “preventing and combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred”.
Both ethnic and religious discrimination are increasingly growing and becoming widespread across Europe. According to a Eurobarometer survey on discrimination, 50% of Europeans believe religious discrimination is widespread. In addition, according to data provided to the Commission, one in five people has experienced discrimination or harassment on the ground of religion in the past year.
The Colloquium is led by by First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner Věra Jourová, who will discuss how to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia, two phenomena which are different in origins, history, manifestations and impacts, but are “related in consequences. Both exemplify a worrisome increase in hate incidents in Europe.
The Colloquium hosted this week is looking at trends and underlying reasons of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the EU, their impact on people’s lives and is exploring ways to solve this societal fear and insecurity. Combating hate incidents The Colloquium gathers European Jewish and Muslim communities, national and local authorities, NGOs, companies, media representatives and individuals.
The EU has already in place a 2008 framework decision to combat racism and xenophobia, which obliges member states to penalize those responsible for violence or hatred directed at people belonging to a group defined by reference of race, ethnicity, color or religious belief. However, Jourová told journalists that only 13 member states have so far fully implemented the framework. Since last year, the Commission is closely monitoring the way the framework decision is implemented in each member state, in order to ensure more member states comply with the framework. The Colloquium also emphasizes on the need to fully transpose this framework decision.
Commissioner Jourová told journalists “the EU has very good laws, but weak enforcement.” In order to better monitor the anti-Muslim and antisemitism hatred, Timmermans and Jourová announced at the Colloquium that they will appoint two coordinators, one to address the issues of antisemitism, and the second one to address Islamophobia.
In addition, the Colloquium will discuss tomorrow an issue of IT platform and management, to prevent online hate crime and speech and online radicalization.
An old monster in Europe: Antisemitism
A worrying increase in antisemitism has been seen in Europe, which has added to the already existing apprehension of European Jews. According to the report by the Vienna’s Fundamental Rights Agency published on Wednesday, antisemitic incidents are on the rise in Europe.
The countries with the most alerting numbers of antisemitic incidents include France and Germany. In France, the commission on human rights recorded 851 incidents last year in comparison to 423 incidents in 2013. In Germany, police noted almost 1,600 “crimes with an anti-Semitic motive”, a much higher number in comparison to 2013.
Polish, Belgian, Czech and Dutch authorities also marked a sharp increase in antisemitism. Hungary and Sweden were the only EU countries which noted a decrease in antisemitism.
The antisemitic incidents vary in gravity, from killings of Jewish people, to desecration of Jewish graves, or more generally, posting of hate speech either on the streets or online. According to the report, “incidents intensify in periods when conflict in the Middle East flares up”.
Feeling unsafe and insecure among the European communities, more and more Jews are considering to leave Europe. Timmermans told journalists “”I cannot imagine Europe without a strong, vibrant Jewish community. Europe cannot survive without a strong, vibrant Jewish community.”
New phenomenon: Islamophobia
Worrying trends have also been revealed in regard to anti-Muslim hatred. “In the past weeks we have seen tremendous solidarity in some countries. But we’ve also seen the dark side of society”, Timmermans underlined during his opening speech at the Colloquium.
Muslims in Europe are becoming targets of hate crimes amid the growing refugee crisis and in retribution for terrorist attacks. Recent reports show an increase in fear and insecurity among the Muslim, as well as Jewish communities. There has been growing evidence in many European countries, especially in the past two years, of high rates of anti-Muslim incidents. Those include acts of verbal and physical violence.
For instance, in France a 53% increased of attacks directed at Muslims were registered in 2014 compared to 2012, and at least 153 Islamophobic incidents against places of worship or individuals have been recorded this year following the Paris January attacks. Hate incidents have also occurred in Sweden, where attacks on mosques were reported at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015.
In his opening address at the Colloquium, Timmermans said:
Europe is going through a period of turmoil and crisis which is challenging the very values it was built, it is challenging the very fabric of European society. The rise of antisemitism and the rise of Islamophobia, each in their own way are symptoms.
Although these two issues are different, antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred are common in that they affect communities which are seen as different.
NewEurope.eu