– Help close the door to antisemitism in the European Parliament
Brussels, 21st May, 2014 – With one day to go until the EU elections, which start in Britain and the Netherlands on Thursday May 22nd and take place in most other EU-member states on Sunday May 25th, ECI has issued an urgent call to all its supporters to use their right to vote in these important elections.
In a statement in Helsinki on Wednesday Tomas Sandell said:
‘If we do not vote this week, we have no right to criticise the votes of the European Parliament during the next five years. There is no alternative for responsible citizens but to vote. With the rise of openly anti-Semitic parties in Europe, we may face an insurgence of Holocaust deniers in the next European Parliament if responsible voters stay at home and do not use their vote. There is no place for Holocaust denial in the European Parliament. But if we do not help shape the future of Europe by going to the polls this week, others will.
Although no candidate can agree with us on every single issue, there is a clear difference between those parties which foster hatred and racism and those who support democratic values. For friends of Israel, it is also important to find out where candidates stand on issues relevant to the peace and security of the Jewish state and then support these candidates in the elections.´
ECI has compiled a list of questions that can help determine where candidates stand on these issues, as well as a short summary of the different party groups currently represented in the European Parliament.
In the next five years there are many pressing issues that will be debated in the European Parliament and we need friends who can:
– stand against the rise of antisemitism and develop a coherent EU strategy to stop it
– challenge the biased EU policy with regard to Israel in the disputed territories
– demand a response to the nuclear threat of Iran and its allies in the Middle East
– scrutinise the EU funding of the Palestinian Authorities by demanding the highest standards of accountability and by making sure that the EU sets clear conditions for aid.
What Europe needs now is not only the right members in the European Parliament but also active and vigilant citizens who take their responsibility seriously to preserve our democracy and Judeo-Christian values and stand against the resurgence of racism and antisemitism.
The seven decades since the last world war are unprecedented in modern European history as we have avoided wars between the major European powers. This is not something we can take for granted but it requires commitment and hard work from each one of us.
As citizens in the EU-member states, our duty this week is to vote in the European elections, and as Christians, to cover these elections in prayer.