Today’s edition is powered by Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) Remember to register for the GIE Annual Conference on 17 and 18 October in Munich, Germany! The conference will feature innovative projects related to renewable and low-carbon gases infrastructures and will address the latest policy and technical developments in the energy, transport, and trade industries. Register here>> —————————————————————————————————– With violence erupting in the Middle East following the brutal attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October, and its unprecedented military response, hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim people in the EU are increasing.
The EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) released a report in July, stating that Jewish people had experienced increased antisemitic incidents since October 2023, with some organisations reporting an increase of more than 400%.
The FRA questioned more than 8,000 Jewish people across 13 member states – with 96% saying they had encountered antisemitism in their daily lives. Harassment and violence mostly took place in streets, parks, or shops. 75% of people questioned felt they were held responsible for the Israeli government’s actions because they are Jewish. Such were the levels of danger people sensed, the majority hid their identity and avoided Jewish events or sites because they did not feel safe.
The rise in Islamophobia has mirrored antisemitism. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in their 2023 report warned that hate incidents against Muslims had increased ‘manyfold’. European Muslims were blamed for the actions of Hamas and suffered prejudice based on stereotypes of connections to terrorism.
These tensions have influenced domestic politics in many European countries, with both the far-left and far-right trying to make political gains, often using incendiary language about Israel or Muslim communities.
Some parties on the far-right have quietly dropped their traditional antisemitic rhetoric, and are now championing themselves as the protector of the Jews in Europe, against Muslims and immigration. Member of the European Parliament (Denmark/PfE) Anders Vistisen said on X that “Violent assaults, hatred of Jews, Islamist propaganda and a society in division. This is what Muslim immigration has done to Denmark.”
Following 7 October, Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) called for a cut in aid and humanitarian funding to Palestinians. The party even submitted proposals to halt money going towards the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), though it was eventually rejected.
In France, although the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) Marine Le Pen has distanced herself from the racist and anti-semitic comments of her father Jean-Marie, antisemitism and a direct Nazi legacy still continues in her party.
Across Europe, the far-left has increasingly courted votes from pro-Palestinian supporters. La France Insoumise (LFI), a big winner in both the European and French elections, has made support for the Palestinians a central aspect of its political campaigning. It has pushed policies such as an arms embargo and sanctions against Israel, and recognition of a Palestinian state. But it does not call Hamas a terrorist group. Among Muslim voters in France, it polls at 44% support, compared to its 8% share of the electorate as a whole.
With voters supporting even more extreme parties, the political polarisation on Gaza has further worsened by the use of social media.
Many pro-Palestinian supporters, especially those from Muslim backgrounds, have complained that because of the pro-Israeli consensus in Germany they do not have space to voice their concerns. If they voice their concerns they are labelled antisemitic, they say.
The societal polarisation that has been created following the 7 October attacks is making it even harder for the EU to find consensus and play an impactful role in the Middle East.
The EU is now confronted increasingly with challenges to secure a safe, respectful and pluralistic public debate.
The Roundup
MEPs will closely examine Italian commissioner-designate Raffaele Fitto’s stance on the potential introduction of conditionalities in the distribution of cohesion funds, documents seen by Euractiv reveal.
Berlin’s vote against the European Commission’s proposed tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs) last week was a self-interested move aimed at discouraging Beijing from introducing retaliatory duties on German combustion engine vehicles, analysts say.
European commissioner-designate Andrius Kubilius will have to answer programme-specific questions about reducing dependencies and making Europe’s defence industry more competitive on the world stage.
As Russia intensifies its attacks, Ukraine faces a critical battle to keep the lights on this winter, which officials warn could be the toughest since the start of Russia’s war on the country.
With Georgia passing yet another controversial law, this time against LGBTQ rights, a growing number of post-socialist EU states, such as Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary, appear eager to adopt similar laws, raising concerns within the EU about violations of its laws and the influence of pro-Russian ideologies.
Independent data reveals varying European strategies in military support to Israel, one year into the Palestinian conflict, which now threatens to destabilise the entire Middle East region.
Look out for:
- European Parliament Plenary Session Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024.
- An Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting takes place in Brussels, Belgium.
- A College of Commissioners meeting takes place in Strasbourg, France.
- Ursula von der Leyen Mr Manfred Weber, Ms Iratxe García-Pérez and Ms Valérie Hayer, Chairs of the European People’s Party Group, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and the Renew Europe Groups in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
- Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Paolo Gentiloni meets with Ms Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), in Luxembourg.
- The European Commission organises a workshop on “Smart Readiness Indicator 2nd joint event” in Brussels, Belgium.
- France Stratégie organises a hybrid format conference, “Employment and skills issues of ecological planning” in Paris, France.
- The CERIS-European Commission, UNDRR, and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research organises a workshop “Disaster Research Days 2024: shaping the future of science and research for disaster risk reduction” in Vienna, Austria.
Source: euractiv.com
