European Commission organises Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights 2015

The European Commission organises a high level colloquium in the Egmont Palace in Brussels today and tomorrow that looks at trends and underlying reasons for anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim incidents in the European Union. It is the Commission’s response to the heinous terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in Paris and the worrying trends in regard to anti-Muslim hatred across the European Union.

Prominent speakers such as Vice President Frans Timmermans and Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová, but also ministers from Luxembourg, Belgium and Sweden, mayors, rabbis and imams and also representatives of civil society and businesses try to address the challenges linked to anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred. In different sessions the participants will discuss the existing European policy framework, the enforcement of anti-discrimination legislation, the role of employment in fostering social inclusion and the role of education. Also the specific issue of hate speech online, on the Internet, will be addressed. 

While acknowledging that both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred are a genuine problem that must be addressed on all levels in the European Union and beyond, the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) is of the opinion that the problem is much wider and affects more people than the two religious groups who are the subject of the Fundamental Rights Colloquium 2015. The lack of tolerance for diversity affects other European minorities too, foremost the Roma, who are repeatedly victim of exclusion and hate attacks. But even well-established national minorities such as the Sorbs in Germany were the victim of racist attacks in the early this year.

For FUEN it is clear: a fundamental rights approach cannot limit itself to discrimination based on religion alone, but has to look at the exclusion of non-religious groups too. This comprehensive approach is one of the elements that FUEN proposed in its Minority SafePack Initiative, the European Citizens’ Initiative for the minorities in Europe. Hate crimes based on the grounds of ethnic or religious origin must always be combatted when they are committed against autochthonous national minorities, independent of their religion or belief. Politicians should not trivialise or ignore the seriousness of hate speech and hate crimes, or even exploit intolerance for political gains. Tolerance and respect for diversity must be the basis of our societies today and in the future. That is why FUEN is strongly supporting the campaign Diversity Connects of the Youth of European Nationalities (YEN).

More information:

European Commission: Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights 

Diversity Connect campaign of the Youth of European Nationalities (YEN)

Photos: © European Union, 2015