The European Commission unveiled an EU strategy on combating anti-Semitism and supporting Jewish life on Tuesday. "Anti-Semitism is incompatible with the values of the European Union and our European way of life," said EC Vice-President Margaritis Schinas.
- Today we are committed to supporting Jewish life in Europe in all its diversity. We want to see Jewish life flourish again at the heart of our communities. This is what it should be like. The strategy we present today is a breakthrough in the way we respond to anti-Semitism. Europe can only prosper if its Jewish communities have safe conditions for development, stated Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Schinas echoed her. - Anti-Semitism is incompatible with the values of the European Union and our European way of life. This strategy - the first of its kind in history - expresses our commitment to combat it in all its forms and to ensure the future of Jewish life in Europe and beyond. We owe it to the victims of the Holocaust, we owe it to the survivors and we owe it to future generations - emphasized the deputy head of the European Commission.
The planned activities included in the strategy are to serve three purposes: preventing all forms of anti-Semitism, protecting and supporting Jewish life, and promoting research, education and remembrance of the Holocaust.
The strategy proposes measures to strengthen cooperation with Internet companies in order to eradicate anti-Semitism on the Internet, better protect public places and places of worship, establish a European center for research on contemporary anti-Semitism, and create a network of places where the extermination of Jews took place. These activities will be supported by the EU's efforts to be a leader in the global fight against anti-Semitism on the international stage, the European Commission announced.
The specific proposals include supporting the creation of a pan-European network of Jewish organizations and "trusted whistleblowers on the internet to signal illegal hate speech for removal".
EU funds for "better protection"
The EC will also support "the development of anti-Semitic narratives online". In cooperation with the Internet industry and IT companies, the European Commission will counteract the illegal display and sale of Nazi symbols, souvenirs and literature on the Internet.
In order to provide Jews with a sense of security and the possibility of full participation in the life of Europe, the European Commission has announced that it will provide EU funds for better protection of public spaces and places of worship.
The European Commission will support the creation of a network of places where the Holocaust took place, e.g. hideouts or places of execution. It will also support a new network of European youth ambassadors promoting the memory of the Holocaust.
The strategy is to be implemented in the years 2021-2030.
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