Members of the World Jewish Congress’ Jewish Diplomatic Corps (JDCorps) from 36 countries were in Strasbourg, France as part of the first WJC JDCorps Global Summit.
The sessions included a panel discussion of five experts on the topic of shaping a democratic society, moderated by JD Corps member Lior Herman, as well as individual addresses by senior Council of Europe officials on the questions of human rights, freedom of speech, and anti-Semitism, inter alia.
The first speaker on the panel was Phillipe Boillat, director general on Human Rights and Rule of Law, who spoke on the fight against terrorism and said that the Council of Europe was leading the effort on cracking down and criminalizing violent extremism, and eradicating the financing of terrorism. He was followed by Thomas Bocek, special representative of the secretary general on Migration and Refugees, who said “our role is to protect human rights, and we must help member states find a practical way to do so,” adding that “in my eyes [these refugees] are no different from Anne Frank.”
The third speaker on the panel was Christian Ahlund, chair of the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), who discussed recommendations being made to fight anti-Semitism, including criminalizing Holocaust denial and Nazi relations. He also warned about the rising danger of hate speech, particularly on the internet, which he said often precedes attacks against Jewish communities. “Most countries do very little to sanction hate speech,” Ahlund said, which he said is perhaps “the most urgent issue we face today in our fight against anti-Semitism.”
The final speaker on the panel was Juris Rudevskli, senior lawyer of the Research Division of the European Court of Human Rights, who also discussed the challenges of differentiating between freedom of speech and incitement to hatred, explaining that European courts’ commitment to democracy helps ensure protection of human rights in this context. He thanked the World Jewish Congress for organizing the session, concluding the panel’s presentation with the message, “Jewishness rhymes with liberty.”
At the Council of Europe, the JDs heard from speakers including Nils Muizniecks, the CoE commissioner for Human Rights, who discussed the challenges of confronting anti-Semitism, inter alia. “The whole human rights system is based on not wanting to repeat the genocide and conflicts of the World War Two, but that is a fading memory,” Muizniecks said in response to a question on anti-Semitism in the education system. “There have been conflicts since then that are more topical. How we make the horrors of world war two topical to people whose families have no connection to that time, or don’t know any Jewish people, this is a big challenge. And the passage of time will that even harder.”
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, who spoke on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and the freedom and restrictions of communications placed on journalists. Members of the Jewish Diplomatic Corps also heard from Despina Chatzivassiliou, the head of the political affairs and democracy department of the Council of Europe, who discussed relations and interactions with national parliaments.
Photo: Shahar Azran
