The European Parliament adopted by 355 votes to 90, with 39 abstentions, the resolution on the rise of neo-fascist violence in Europe.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens, EFA and GUE/NGL groups.
The lack of serious action against neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups has enabled the occurrence of the current xenophobic surge in Europe.
Parliament strongly condemned and deplored the terrorist attacks, murders, psychological violence, violent physical attacks and marches by neo-fascist and neo-Nazi organisations that have taken place in various EU Member States.
In this regard, it called on the Member States to:
- strongly condemn and sanction hate crime, hate speech and scapegoating by politicians and public officials at all levels and on all types of media, as they directly normalise and reinforce hatred and violence in society;
- investigate and prosecute hate crimes and to share best practices for identifying and investigating hate crimes, including those motivated specifically by the various forms of xenophobia;
- envisage and provide for adequate support for the victims of racist or xenophobic crimes and hate crimes;
- set up anti-hate crime units in police forces;
- counteract the scourge of racism, fascism and xenophobia in stadiums and in the sports culture;
- put in place national ‘exit programmes’ to help individuals to leave violent neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups;
- condemn and counteract all forms of Holocaust denial, including the trivialisation and minimalisation of the crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators;
- promote education through mainstream culture on the diversity of our society and on our common history, including the atrocities of World War II, such as the Holocaust, and the systematic dehumanisation of its victims over a number of years.
Lastly, Parliament called for consolidated EU anti-discrimination legislation, including the transposition/implementation of existing legislation and the passing of new legislation, including the Equal Treatment Directive.