MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

19.1.2005

further to Questions for Oral Answer B6‑0003/05 and B6‑0004/05
pursuant to Rule 108(5) of the Rules of Procedure
by Graham Watson and Sarah Ludford
on behalf of the ALDE Group
on remembrance of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and racism

B6‑0073/2005

European Parliament resolution on remembrance of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and racism

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Articles 2, 6, 7 and 29 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 13 of the EC Treaty, which commit the Member States to upholding the highest standards of human rights and non-discrimination, and to the European Charter of Fundamental Rights,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism of 27 October 1994, 27 April 1995, 26 October 1995, 30 January 1997 and 16 March 2000,

–  having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1035/97 establishing a European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, to the EUMC’s various reports on racism in the EU, including ‘Manifestations of anti Semitism in the EU 2002-2003’, published in October 2003, and to its 2003-2004 annual report,

–  having regard to the Berlin Declaration of the Second OSCE Conference on Anti‑Semitism, held in Berlin on 28-29 April 2004, and to the Special Representative for Anti-Semitism recently appointed by the OSCE,

–  having regard to the Stockholm Declaration of the International Forum on the Holocaust held in Stockholm on 26-28 January 2000, which called for increased education on the Holocaust,

–  having regard to the European Parliament Written Declaration of June 2000 on remembrance of the Holocaust,

–   having regard to the establishment of 27 January as Holocaust Memorial Day in several EU Member States,

–  noting the recent publication by the European Commission of a report drawing attention to very disturbing levels of hostility and human rights abuses against Roma, Gypsies and Travellers in Europe,

–  recalling that the Romani Holocaust deserves full recognition commensurate with the gravity of Nazi crimes designed to physically eliminate the Roma of Europe as well as the Jews,

–  having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas 27 January 2005, the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, is not only a major occasion for remembering the enormous horror and tragedy of the Holocaust, but also for addressing the disturbing rise in anti-Semitism and especially anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, and for learning anew the wider lessons about the dangers of victimising people on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, politics or sexual orientation;

B.  whereas Jews in Europe are experiencing a heightened sense of insecurity due to anti‑Semitism disseminated on the internet, manifested through desecration of synagogues, cemeteries and other religious sites and attacks on Jewish schools and cultural centres, and through attacks on Jewish persons in Europe, causing numerous injuries;

C.  whereas the Holocaust has been seared on the consciousness of Europe, especially for its murderous hatred of Jews and Roma on the basis of their racial or religious identity, despite which anti-Semitism, racial and religious prejudice continue to pose a very serious threat to their victims and to European and international values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and therefore to overall European and global security;

D.  whereas there needs to be an ongoing dialogue with the media about the way its reporting and commentary can contribute both positively and negatively to the perception and understanding of religious, ethnic and racial issues;

E.  whereas ongoing challenges such as the combating of terrorism and the conflicts in the Middle East generate a climate of controversy, fear and insecurity which heightens the propensity for racist behaviour and antagonism towards particular groups, such as Jews and Muslims;

1.  Expresses concern over the rise of extreme right-wing and xenophobic parties and growing public acceptance of their views, and calls on the institutions of the European Union, the Member States and all European democratic political parties to unequivocally condemn without reservation:

• –all forms of racial, ethnic and religious intolerance, incitement to hatred, harassment or violence, including all forms of anti-Semitism, whether traditional or new, including Holocaust denial,
• –all attacks thus motivated, including physical attacks against synagogues, mosques, churches and other religious places, sites and shrines,
• –all forms of racial, ethnic and religious intolerance with equal determination, such as anti-Semitism, anti-Roma prejudice and Islamophobia;

2.  Urges the Council and the Commission, as well as the various levels of local, regional and national government in the Member States, to coordinate their measures to combat anti‑Semitism and attacks on minority groups including Roma and immigrants in the Member States, in order to uphold the principles of tolerance and non-discrimination and to promote social, economic and political integration;

3.  Urges the Council, Commission and Member States to strengthen the fight against anti‑Semitism and racism through promoting awareness, especially among young people, of the history and lessons of the Holocaust by:

• –encouraging Holocaust remembrance, including making 27 January European Holocaust Memorial Day across the whole of the EU,
• –reinforcing Holocaust education, for example by using the Berlin information centre on the Holocaust (Stiftung Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas) as a European resource, making Holocaust education and European citizenship standard elements of school curricula, developing effective modern teaching methods, and taking advantage of Parliament’s insertion in the 2005 budget of provision for schools throughout the EU to adopt war graves and monuments;

4.  Welcomes the declared intention of the Luxembourg Presidency to restart the stalled discussions on the draft Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia, and urges the Council to reach agreement on outlawing incitement to racial and religious hatred throughout the EU while preserving legitimate free speech;

5.  Insists that the new EU Fundamental Rights Agency should build upon the acquired competence of the European Union Monitoring Centre as a centre of information, networking and expertise on racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, with a view to enhancing and not marginalising the profile and effectiveness of this work;

6.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and candidate countries.