Zita Gurmai (S&D). - Madam President, what happened in Greece two weeks ago should be a strong wake-up call. Although we often refer to the fundamental values on which the Union is founded, I sometimes have the feeling that we have forgotten their true meaning. Words carry weight, especially when they come from elected representatives. Hateful speeches can ultimately result in tragedies.

It is our duty – the duty of the European Union and of each and every Member State – to remind those who threaten the cohesion of our societies that we are bound by these values. It is the duty of the government of each Member State to promptly condemn hateful speeches, provocation or violence that sometimes remains unanswered. No part of the population should be singled out or used as a scapegoat, because the slightest concession to our shared values is already a defeat for the Union and for European democracy.

Extremists grow and thrive on crises and social distress – we know that. So beyond condemning all forms of extremism, our task is firstly to deal with the roots of this growing problem by reorienting Europe in a fairer way and strengthening the European social model.