WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a joint statement with the foreign affairs committee chairs of several European governments. In the statement, the chairs condemn the alarming rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim bigotry in their countries following Hamas’ attack against Israel last month. The statement is signed by the foreign affairs committee chairs of Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the European Parliament, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
“We, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of our respective national parliaments, condemn the surge in hate and violence plaguing our nations and the world since Hamas’ horrific attack against Israel on October 7.
“We are witnessing an alarming rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim bigotry and violence that has included acts of online hate, verbal assaults, vandalism, desecration of Holocaust memorials and cemeteries, intimidation, death threats, and physical attacks.
“Antisemitic hate crime investigations have tripled in New York and London over the past month in comparison to last year. In France, the Interior Ministry documented 1,040 antisemitic incidents in the month following the October 7 attack. Jewish and Muslim community organizations have reported even more incidents throughout our countries.
“In the United States, six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume was brutally murdered because he was Palestinian, while Paul Kessler, a Jewish man, died following an altercation at a pro-Israel rally in California. A synagogue in Germany was firebombed. In Russia, an antisemitic mob stormed an airport in Dagestan and demanded Jewish passengers identify themselves. Jewish and Muslim individuals that are easily identified have been disproportionately targeted.
“We are proud to represent diverse constituencies in vibrant democracies. None of this is acceptable. As stated by the European Commission, ‘No one should live in fear of discrimination or violence because of their religion or their identity.’ We urge our governments to intensify all efforts to safeguard Jewish and Muslim communities, to condemn these actions when they occur, and to implement our national strategies to combat the dark tide of bigotry and hatred.”
The statement was issued by:
Senator Ben Cardin
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee
United States Senate
Boyko Borisov
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria
Éléonore Caroit
Deputy Chair of the French Foreign Affairs Committee
The National Assembly of the French Republic
Mark Demesmaeker
Chair of the Committee on Transversal Affairs
The Senate of the Kingdom of Belgium
Aron Emilsson
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Riksdag of the Kingdom of Sweden
Charles Flanagan
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense
The Dáil Éireann of the Republic of Ireland
Doina Gherman
Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committee
The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
Domagoj Hajdukovic
Chairman of the European Affairs Committee
The Parliament of the Republic of Croatia
Pablo Hispan
Member of the Congress of Deputies
Kingdom of Spain
Michael Aastrup Jensen
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Folketing of the Kingdom of Denmark
Alicia Kearns
Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Sargis Khandanyan
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
Rihards Kols
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
Christoph Matznetter
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
National Council of the Republic of Austria
David McAllister
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The European Parliament
Oleksandr Merezhko
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Marko Mihkelson
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia
Zsolt Németh
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The National Assembly of Hungary
Žygimantas Pavilionis
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Christine Schwartz-Fuchs
Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Federal Council of the Republic of Austria
Ine Eriksen Søreide
Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Storting of the Kingdom of Norway
Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata
Chairman of the European Affairs Committee
The Senate of the Italian Republic
Marek Ženíšek
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Chamber of Deputies of Czechia
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