EPP secretary-general demands that Brussels takes more steps to combat anti-Semitism

“Hate speech and all types of violence against Jews are incompatible with EU values,” according to Antonio López-Istúriz, the Secretary-General of the European People’s Party (EPP), who made his comments while addressing the Annual Conference of the European Jewish Association in Paris on February 25.
Istúriz, who is also Chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Israel, called for the implementation of effective measures to combat racism and xenophobia and said better education policies are key.
“Anti-Semitism is not only justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of radical ideology, but it also entails dehumanising, demonising, and stereotyping Jews,” he added.
As the number of anti-Semitic attacks across the EU is surging, Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission’s President, has pledged to fight against the discrimination of Jews and has labelled anti-Semitism as “poison for our communities”.
The European Commission recently condemned Belgium’s Aalst Carnival, a centuries-old and formerly UNESCO-listed Belgian street parade that is famous for mocking Jews. The EU’s executive body said it received a “number of complaints” after the parade, which controversially went ahead as scheduled despite widespread condemnation around Europe and from Jewish organisations both inside and outside the EU.
“It’s clear to me that the Aalst Carnival is a shame. It needs to stop. There is no place for this in Europe,” said Margaritis Schinas, the Commission Vice President for Promoting the European Way of Life.