Brussels, 27 January 2022 – For International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January, the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) urges EU Member States to tackle the rising Antisemitism, and curb the continued attacks targeting the lives and safety of Jews in Europe.

Today, 77 years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Antisemitism is still a worrying trend in Europe. Even today, its different manifestations are affecting many Jewish communities: this is not only limited to physical attacks against Jewish people but also includes an alarming increase of online hatred throughout social networks.

According to the 2018 EU Barometer, 38% of Europeans do not consider Holocaust denial to be a problem, while 43% do not consider Antisemitism as a problem in their country. In contrast, 9 in 10 (89%) respondents in the Second FRA Survey 2018 considered that antisemitism increased in their country in the five years before the survey. 85% of respondents considered antisemitism, and racism generally, to be the most pressing problems across the EU Member States surveyed.

The rise of far-right movements and the pandemic have only exacerbated Antisemitic sentiment further with the proliferation of dangerous rhetoric and conspiracy theories. And the direct link between hate speech and hate crime can be also perceived as a threat to Jewish communities.

It is crucial to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten so that such injustices never happen again; for the Jewish community and for all ethnic and religious communities who experience racism and discrimination. EU leaders cannot allow the trivialisation of hatred in any of its forms lest we repeat the atrocities of our past. To live up to the Never Again promise, we need meaningful actions and commitments from leaders now.

We remember those who were subject to mass extermination during the Holocaust – including Jewish people, Roma, LGBT people and people with disabilities. We must never forget that around 6 million Jews and at least 500 000 Roma were exterminated during the Holocaust, based on notions of racial inferiority. Our thoughts are also with the survivors of the Holocaust who have had to continue living with unspeakable trauma and their children and grandchildren who must carry the legacy of this trauma. We share your grief and we stand with you.

ENAR welcomes the European Commission’s EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism as a necessary step in the fight for equality. The EU Strategy should also be a platform for greater exchange and better understanding on how new actions to combat Antisemitism can be elaborated from an intersectional and anti-racist perspective based on Europe’s past, present and future.

As the voice of the anti-racist movement in Europe, ENAR believes that an intersectional perspective is necessary and can be achieved with the creation of a permanent space for discussions about the different Antisemitism manifestations with plural voices amongst the Jewish communities. Systemic racism will only be tackled if racialised groups, including Jews, come together to learn from the past and address issues of the present. Let us build unity to never go back.

For further information, contact:
Nabil Sanaullah, ENAR Communication and Press Officer
Mobile: +32 (0)475 988 585 – Email: nabil@enar-eu.org – Web: www.enar-eu.org

Notes to the editor:
1. The European Commission published the results of a Eurobarometer survey on Antisemitism on 23 January 2019.
2. The European Network Against Racism (ENAR aisbl) stands against racism and discrimination and advocates equality and solidarity for all in Europe. We connect local and national anti-racist NGOs throughout Europe and voice the concerns of ethnic and religious minorities in European and national policy debates.