As Europe commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day, Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has voiced serious concerns about the recent wave of anti-Semitism across Europe. The European Parliament will be holding a minute of silence for all victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
Mr Nicholson said:
"As Europe commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day on Tuesday 27 January, we remember the millions of Jews and other minorities murdered by the Nazi regime. On this 70th anniversary year of the end of the Second World War, it remains vital that future generations learn from the horrors of the past.
"We must also be conscious however that the scourge of anti-Semitism continues to blight communities across European cities. Following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, 5,000 police officers and soldiers were deployed to protect Jewish schools. Even our own small Jewish community in Belfast has fallen victim to hate crime over the past number of years.
"It is scandalous that today, 70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, many Jews across Europe are living in fear. The European Commission now recognises the scale of the issue. Last week its Vice-President said he feared the consequences of Europe being a place where Jews no longer feel safe.
"Europe can no longer be complacent. Anti-Semitism and all forms of racial hatred must be tackled head-on. Holocaust Memorial Day reminds us that if our cities are places where minorities live in fear, then we have failed as a society.
"We must never forget victims and survivors and their stories. We must consign anti-Semitism to history."