Tom Lantos: “It is literally unthinkable that just 50 years after the Holocaust this body should be compelled to take up this issue.…”

“It is literally unthinkable that just 50 years after the Holocaust this body should be compelled to take up this issue. It speaks very poorly of the educational process that has unfolded in Europe in the last two generations, that this most ancient hatred, based on prejudice and ignorance, should again be sweeping the continent. Several strains provide a confluence as to why they are up against this problem today. The first and perhaps most important one is the old church-based anti-Semitism. Churches have been guilty for centuries of fomenting anti-Semitism; and while some voices have spoken for acceptance and tolerance, important segments of the churches have contributed to the continuation of this sickening spectacle of religious hate. We also see the upsurge of skinhead and neo-Nazi movements of direct followers of what was the dominant theme in Germany in the 1930's and early 40's. The skinhead and neo-Nazi component of this new wave of anti-Semitism must be fought by all European governments. We have a new element. The extremist Islamic and Arab populations of Europe are contributing powerfully to anti-Semitism, and it is incumbent upon the governments of Europe to fight these forces. Finally, the perpetually misguided European left must recognize that its values and priorities are all upside down.”