"The message of the parliament is clear: There is no place for hatred and antisemitism in Europe."
The European Union Parliament marked International Holocaust Day last
week and emphasized the continuing importance of the vigilant fight
against antisemitism in Europe.
"The message of the parliament is
clear," said President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani,
speaking at the ceremony, "there is no place for hatred and antisemitism
in Europe."
Tajani said that the parliament must act in light of a
recently published survey
showing that a majority of Europeans do not believe antisemitism is a
major problem in Europe, despite the rise in antisemitic attacks and
rhetoric.
Chairman of the Jewish Agency Isaac Herzog also
reacted to the survey, saying "30 percent of Europeans do not know
anything about the Holocaust. This is clearly a threat."
The
survey found that more than four in ten Europeans (42%) were aware that
there is a law against Holocaust denial in their country while more than
a third were not aware of such a law, and close to a quarter didn't
know. Interestingly, education about the Holocaust is widely seen as an
important factor in prevention of antisemitism, but the survey
highlighted that Europeans are divided about the level of education
about the Holocaust in their national schools: More than four in ten
Europeans thought that the Holocaust is sufficiently taught in their
country's schools, but nearly the same proportion believed the opposite.
Approximately 25% of respondents understood that issues such as
antisemitic violence, Holocaust denial and the desecration of Jewish
cemeteries are “very important,” but they were unable to elaborate on
their views due to lack of knowledge on the matter. Close to 60% of
interviewees said they could not expound on the matter because they
believed there were no problems in this aspect of their country.
Meanwhile,
“over half of Europeans (54%) believe that the conflicts in the Middle
East have an influence on the way Jewish people are perceived in their
country,” the survey stated. “A majority share this opinion in 13 member
states, mainly in Northern and Western Europe.”
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