MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
19.1.2005
pursuant to Rule 108(5) of the Rules of Procedure
by Romano Maria La Russa, Inese Vaidere, Roberta Angelilli and Brian Crowley
on behalf of the UEN Group
on anti-Semitism and racism
B6‑0077/2005
European Parliament resolution on anti-Semitism and racism
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
– having regard to Protocol N° 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights, which contains a general clause prohibiting discrimination,
– having regard to the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the extermination camp in Auschwitz on 27 January 1945,
– having regard to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, and recalling that the Court held that disputing the existence of crimes against humanity committed under the Nazi regime was one of the most severe forms of racial defamation and of incitement to hatred of Jews and that the denial of such crimes against humanity and the justification of a pro-Nazi policy could not be allowed to enjoy the protection afforded by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
– having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. paying homage to the memory of the victims of the systematic persecution and extermination of Jews in the Shoah, as well as of the other victims of policies of racist persecution and extermination during the Second World War,
B. recalling the number of crimes against humanity and the cases of genocide committed during the twentieth century all over the world (amongst others, the genocide against the Armenians and the Kurds, and the crimes committed in Soviet gulags and Former Yugoslavia ‘foibe’),
C. recalling that the legacy of Europe’s history is a duty to remember the past by remaining vigilant and actively opposing any manifestations of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or intolerance,
D. stressing that Europe was rebuilt after the horrors of the Second World War around the defence and promotion of common and just values, in particular the protection and promotion of human rights, and recalling that combating racism, xenophobia, anti‑Semitism and intolerance forms part of the protection and promotion of human rights,
E. recalling the work of the European Union in combating racism and discrimination, and noting the conclusions of the seminar on ‘Europe against anti-Semitism, for a Union of Diversity’ held in Brussels on 19 February 2004,
F. observing that episodes of anti-Semitism still occur in many European countries, and stressing that this persistence is also characterised by new manifestations of anti‑Semitism, which sometimes are not exclusively the actions of marginal or radical groups, occurring inter alia in schools, with frequent use of symbols from the Nazi era and references to the Shoah,
1. Believes that an adequate response to these phenomena can only be developed through the concerted efforts of all relevant actors in European society, including representatives of different communities, religious leaders, civil society organisations and other key institutions;
2. Is convinced that these efforts should also include the promotion of dialogue and cooperation between the different segments of society at the local and national levels, including dialogue and cooperation between different cultural, ethnic and religious communities; in this connection, praises the initiatives that have been taken to encourage dialogue between different religious communities;
3. Emphasises the role of education in the promotion of tolerance and respect for human rights, especially in schools, also through the introduction of anti-racist learning;
4. Calls on Member States to provide measures to ensure that legislation aimed at preventing and sanctioning anti-Semitism and racism is effectively implemented;
5. Calls on Member States to ensure that the fight against anti-Semitism and racism is carried out at all administrative levels (national, regional, local) and to facilitate the involvement of a wide range of actors from different sectors of society (political, legal, economic, social, religious and educational);
6. Calls on Member States to take the necessary measures to ensure that freedom of religion is fully guaranteed and to encourage religious leaders to take responsibility for the teachings spread;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments of the Member States and the Government of Israel.