In response to a surge in antisemitic incidents in Europe, the European Union released a statement in which they said, “In these difficult times the EU stands by its Jewish communities.”
After acknowledging a spike of antisemitic incidents across Europe, including Molotov cocktails thrown on a synagogue in Germany, stars of David sprayed on residential buildings in France, a Jewish cemetery desecrated in Austria, Jewish stores and synagogues attacked in Spain, and demonstrators chanting hate slogans against Jews, the EU admitted that European Jews today are again living in fear as it has reached extraordinary levels “reminiscent of some of the darkest times in history.”
The statement went on to condemn these despicable acts in the strongest possible terms, and declared that “they go against everything that Europe stands for” and are “against our core values and our way of life.”
While noting that they have to push back against this rise in antisemitism as well as other hate, the EU said they “have powerful tools at our disposal to address such incidents: EU law criminalizes public incitement to hatred and violence and sets out a common approach to tackling racist and xenophobic hate speech and hate crimes.”
In addition to its first-ever comprehensive strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life established in 2021, the EU pledged to continue to step up security measures, as they have already increased EU funding to protect places of worship and other premises.
The statement ended by declaring, “In parallel, we are stepping up the enforcement of relevant legislation to ensure online platforms react swiftly and effectively to antisemitic or anti-Muslim content online, be it terrorist content, hate speech or disinformation. It is our shared responsibility as Europeans to call out hate in all its forms and stand up against it.”
