The former chief spokesperson of the European Commission has been entrusted by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with leading the EU’s executive body’s fight against antisemitism.
His portfolio encompasses policies ranging from internal security, to education and culture, to interfaith dialogue.
‘’We are setting up a reinforced team under our Coordinator on antisemitism, Katharina von Schnurbein. And we will continue to work intensely through our dedicated working group, which brings together Member States authorities and Jewish communities,’’ Schinas mentioned.
‘’Nothing excuses antisemitism, whether it comes from neo-nazis, far-right or far-left extremists, or radical islamists; whether masked as antizionism or historical revisionism,’’ said European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas who addressed Tuesday an event in Brussels marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
‘’As we see Jewish communities under pressure again today, we must stand up against it. Raise our voices and redouble our efforts to ensure Jewish Europeans can go about their lives free from the threat of antisemitism,’’ he added.
The former chief spokesperson of the European Commission has been entrusted by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with leading the EU’s executive body’s fight against antisemitism.
His portfolio encompasses policies ranging from internal security, to education and culture, to interfaith dialogue. ‘’We are setting up a reinforced team under our Coordinator on antisemitism, Katharina von Schnurbein. And we will continue to work intensely through our dedicated working group, which brings together Member States authorities and Jewish communities,’’ Schinas mentioned.
In December 2018, the European Council adopted a Declaration inviting all EU Member States to develop comprehensive strategies against antisemitism.
‘’Appointing a special envoy on antisemitism and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition – so far endorsed by 16 of our Member States – are important steps in the right direction. We count on the upcoming German Presidency of the IHRA, which will also coincide with their Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2020, to help accelerate progress,’’ Schinas said.
The European Commission Vice-President also stressed the importance of investing in education and awareness raising. ‘’To teach our children, inform our citizens, train our law enforcement and judiciary about the Holocaust, but also about the many forms of antisemitism that plague our societies still to this day.’’
He noted that a third of Europeans know just a little or nothing at all about the Holocaust and one in 20 has never even heard of it.
‘’The duty to never let the the memory of Holocaust survivors fade, the duty of remembrance, is a duty that we must all bear. As part of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, we pledged to victims and survivors that their legacy will be kept alive,’’ he said.
‘’The memory of the Shoah lives on in the descendants. We must listen to the voices of the second and third generation of survivors whose lives have also been profoundly shaped by the experiences of their parents and grandparents.