BRUSSELS—“I’m deeply concerned about the growth of antisemitism as concluded by the report of the Fundamental Rights Agency. It is essential that we combat this scourge forcefully and collectively. The Jewish community must feel safe and at home in Europe. If we cannot achieve this, Europe ceases to be Europe,’’ said First Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans in a reaction to the presentation Monday of results of the survey ‘’Experiences and perceptions of antisemitism.’’
The survey, the second of its kind, polled 16,300 Jews in 12 EUcountries, home to over 96% of the EU’s estimated Jewish population.
85% of European Jews consider antisemitism to be the biggest social or political problem in their home country. Other figures, amongst others, show that Antisemitism is pervasive and is having an impact on the daily lives of European Jews throughout the EU :
- 89% of Jews think Antisemitism is most problematic on the internet and on social media;
- 28% of respondents have been harassed at least once in the past year;
- 79% of Jews who experienced antisemitic harassment in the past five years did not report this to the police or another organisation;
- 34% avoid visiting Jewish events or sites because they do not feel safe;
- 38% have considered emigrating because they did not feel safe as Jews in Europe;
- 70% consider that efforts by Member States to combat antisemitism are not effective.
European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Vera Jourova, who presented the survey together with the Austrian presidency of the EU to an audience of Jewish organisations leaders, ONGs representatives and journalists, declared : “70 years after the Holocaust, I am deeply saddened that 9 out of 10 Jews in Europe say that Antisemitism has increased over the past five years. The Jewish community should feel at home and safe in Europe, whether they are on the way to the synagogue or surfing online. The Commission is acting together with Member States to counter the rise of Antisemitism, to fight Holocaust denial and to guarantee that Jews have the full support of the authorities to keep them safe.”
In 2015, in the aftermath of the presentation of the results of a first survey on hate crimes against Jews in the EU, the EU Commission appointed a Coordinator a Coordinator on combating Antisemitism, Katharina von Schnurbein, to liaise with Jewish communities and to strengthen cooperation with organisations working in that field. Her work was praised by several leaders of Jewish organisations.
To tackle the increase of antisemitism in the online sphere, the Commission launched in 2016 a Code of Conduct on illegal online hate speech. Major IT-companies (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Microsoft) have agreed to review illegal hate speech flagged to them within 24 hours and remove it where necessary. In the course of 2018, Instagram, Google+, Snapchat and Dailymotion also joined the Code of Conduct. The results of this action will again be evaluated early next year. More recently, the Commission proposed a legislation to ensure that online terrorist content is removed within one hour following a removal order from the national competent authorities.
In June 2016, the European Commission also launched the High Level Group on combating Racism, Xenophobia and other forms of Intolerance to step up cooperation and coordination, to better prevent and combat hate crime and hate speech. It brings together all 28 EU Member States, international organisations and civil society organisations. Through this network, the Commission is working on addressing the underreporting issue by improving standards for recording hate crime.
Last month, the EU became a permanent member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), a bidy which has adopted a Working Definition of Anti-Semitism. But as today, only 7 EU Member States have adopted the definition : Austria, Germany, UK, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
The EU says that its participation in the IHRA will allow for closer cooperation on combating Holocaust denial and preventing racism, xenophobia and Antisemitism.
The obligation to protect EU citizens lies first and foremost with the Member States themselves. Last week, at the initiative of Austria, all EU countries unanimously adopted the first EU “Declaration on the fight against Antisemitism and the development of a common security approach to better protect Jewish communities and institutions in Europe.”
Member States are called to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as a guidance tool, which would be an important step in the fight against antisemitism. In January, the EU Commission is also expected to publish an EU survey on the general perception of anti-Semitism among the general population.
’My objective is to see Jewish life in Europe become a ‘normality‘
But Jewish groups, shocked by the survey results although not really surprised, stress that the time of words is over and that action is needed now do make Jews feel safe again in their own countries. Several speakers at Monday’s presentation insisted on the need to see changes on the ground as many among the Jews polled consider the EU action to be quite ineffective. ‘’Let’s step up our fight to counter antisemitism in a more effective manner, with concrete measures ’’ declared Karoline Edstadle, State Secretary in the Austrian Ministry of Interior. ‘’Jews should not ask whether they have a place in Europe. Jews should go safely to synagogues,’’ she said, speaking of a ‘’very alarming development.’’ She noted that antisemitism takes various forms, including criticism of the State of Israel.
‘’It’s up to EU leaders, NGOs, people of Europe to act,’’ said Ariel Muzicant from Austria, Vice-President of the European Jewish Congress, during a panel debate. ‘’Two million Jews left Europe after 1945. Today, there are 1,5 million Jews on the continent. In 30 years, if the same trend continues, 50% of European Jews will have left,’’ he said. ‘’We have to see things change on the ground,’’ he said, insisting of the need for the EU to dedicate money for the security of Jewish community.
EU Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism Katharina von Schnurbein mentioned the fact that Jews who left Europe for Israel always argue that ‘’there the State is on our side.’’ ‘’It should be the same here : Jews should say the State is on our side.’’
‘’My objective is to see Jewish life in Europe become a ‘’normality,’’ she concluded.
