AJC: EU Parliament Steps Backward on Tackling Anti-Semitism

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Dec 22, 2014, 03:51 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is deeply disappointed with the European Parliament's failure to establish a task force to fight the rise of anti-Semitism across Europe.

"European Parliament inaction on an anti-Semitism task force is simply an inexcusable dereliction of duty," said AJC Executive Director David Harris, who has long been urging stepped-up European action to counter anti-Semitism. "Anti-Semitic violence and attitudes have increased in key EU member states, and an increasing number of Jews wonder what the future holds for them, yet the European Parliament refuses to establish a special body to deal with the resurgence of this ugly hatred targeting Jews -- and, no less, core European values."

While the European Parliament refused to establish a task force on anti-Semitism, despite strong support from a number of members, it did create an all-inclusive body to deal with racism and diversity in general.

"The roots and motives behind anti-Semitism are often different from other forms of bigotry," said Harris. "Subsuming this very specific problem among other forms of racism (and diversity) reveals how some parliamentarians, despite the long shadow of anti-Semitism on the European continent, have yet to come to grips with the seriousness and uniqueness of the problem."

"We urge lawmakers to revisit the proposal for an anti-Semitism task force at the earliest possible moment," Harris added. "The stark facts demand no less."

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SOURCE American Jewish Committee