New York, NY, July 22, 2014 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the declaration by the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Italy, which clearly and forcefully condemned anti-Semitic attacks and hate speech in their countries and stated that nothing, including events in the Middle East, could justify anti-Semitic incidents.
The three foreign ministers declared that “Anti-Semitic agitation, hate speech against Jews, attacks against people of Jewish belief and against synagogues cannot be tolerated in our societies in Europe.”
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:
Jews must be able to live securely in Europe, regardless of what happens in the Middle East. The statement by the three foreign ministers underscores that principle and adds their commitment to take all legal means to ensure it.
Synagogues have been targeted in all three countries over the past week, calls to kill Jews have been heard at anti-Israel demonstrations, and anti-Semitic rhetoric is pervasive at protests and online. Political leaders and law enforcement must take action against these unacceptable anti-Semitic incidents and enforce the law.
While most of the serious anti-Semitic incidents in Europe of which we are aware occurred in these three countries, we urge the other E.U. foreign ministers meeting in Brussels to adopt the same position with regard to any anti-Semitic incidents in their countries.
Examples of anti-Semitism from demonstrations across Europe are available on the League’s web site.
A recent ADL poll in 100 countries found that 37 percent of those surveyed in France, 27 percent in Germany and 20 percent in Italy, harbor anti-Semitic attitudes. The European Union average was 27 percent.