Europe voted – Strong stance against extremism more necessary than ever

Brussels (BE) – 26 May 2014

The final results of the European Parliament elections are in, and the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) looks to the next five years with mixed feelings. 

We are highly satisfied with the reach of the Mind The Vote! Campaign and the engagement of our member unions and young Jews in raising awareness of the threat that extremist parties pose. Furthermore, EUJS is relieved that voter participation remained stable across Europe and didn’t drop any lower. 

However, the outcome of the elections and the reality of extremist parties from both sides of the political spectrum now increasingly represented in the new European Parliament are of great concern to us: Eurosceptic and right-wing parties have gained ground all across Europe, with Front National (France), the Danish People’s Party (Denmark) and UKIP (UK) even becoming the strongest party in their respective countries. Most worrying of all, some radical far-right parties with neo-Nazi ideology will also be represented in the European Parliament.This development will hurt the Parliament in its capability to pass measures and further push for integration and protect European values. The election results confirm the necessity of working even stronger to unveil and oppose this increasing trend of antisemitism, racism and hate speech closely linked to the rise of right-wing populism all over Europe.

The next five years will likely demand more vigilance and action from individuals, civil society organizations and political parties alike to oppose these problematic ideologies on the European level. The elections may be over, but our efforts need to continue, and therefore we will develop the material compiled during the Mind the Vote! campaign to further educate and draw attention to racism, antisemitism and hate speech in our countries and on the European level. We ask all our members, friends and partners to join us.
 
For more information, please contact the EUJS EU Affairs Fellow at eu-affairs@eujs.org and visit the Mind the Vote! campaign website www.mindthevote.eu

Media Contact:

European Affairs Fellow, eu-affairs@eujs.org