Growing outrage amongst European citizenry over Israel’s latest military incursion into Gaza has some in Europe’s Jewish population concerned. Israeli Jewish Congress president Vladimir Sloutsker stated “The situation facing European Jewry is “simply intolerable, unacceptable and inexcusable”, referring to the growing pro-Palestinian popular protests that are taking place across the continent. Now Jewish lobby groups are calling for an outright ban on pro-Palestine demonstrations, claiming they are contributing to what they see as a precipitous rise in Anti-Semitic sentiment across Europe.
J-Post reports:
Calling the rise in anti-Semitic incidents accompanying Israel’s invasion of Gaza an “SOS situation,” Sloutsker warned that if left unchecked, such behavior could lead to another European genocide.
“Never before since the Holocaust, have we seen such a situation as today,” he said, referring to the continent-wide demonstrations by pro-Palestinian activists, a number of which have degenerated into violence and many of which have featured racist rhetoric. “We are potentially looking at the beginning of another Holocaust now.
These events will only grow in scale across Europe.”
Addressing legislators and representatives from a number of European governments, including those of Denmark, Holland and France, the oligarch and former head of the Russian Jewish Congress called for Jewish communities across the continent to “unite and consolidate.”
Sloutsker also called on all European governments to impose what he called “strict regulations” on the format and content of demonstrations in order to prevent further violence against Jews.
Citing a recent proposal by Belgian Jewry to establish a position of Special European Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism and Racism, Sloutsker said such measures would “help send a strong message that European leadership is united and committed to combating anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia.”
A number of Israeli legislators echoed Sloutsker’s call for a more proactive European approach to combating anti-Semitism.