Jews protest at Parliament

Date: 30/05/02

By Peter Chapman

MORE than 2,000 Jews, including hundreds from Germany, marched to the European Parliament yesterday (29 May) to warn against a rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe and the backlash over Israel's efforts to fight terrorism.

'Anti-Semitism has no place in Europe,' said Michel Friedman, vice-president of the Paris-based European Jewish Congress, after addressing the crowd in Place du Luxembourg.

'It's a big, big danger that again, in some of our countries extreme right parties - fascist parties - are not just in parliaments but part of governments,' he said. 'We will never accept that, after 1945, synagogues are burning and Jews are in danger on a daily basis.'

He added the 'civilised free world decided after 11 September to fight against terrorism from New York to Kabul'.

'Israel has to have the same right to fight it in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem,' he said. Many non-Jews also took part in the demonstration.

More than 2,000 Jews marched to the European Parliament on 29 May 2002 to warn against a rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe.