PARIS, APRIL 3 – UNESCO and the European Commission launched today a 2-year joint project to address rising antisemitism through education in Europe, where Jewish communities feel their safety is increasingly threatened.
Funded by the European Commission and supported by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the new partnership, led by UNESCO, will work with 12 EU Member States to address antisemitism through educational activities tailored to local needs. The countries participating in the project include: Austria, Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles), Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany (led by the states of Baden-Wurttemberg and Schleswig-Holstein), Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.
UNESCO will collaborate with the authorities in these countries to train teacher trainers, policy-makers and civil society organizations to address antisemitism in the school environment. The goal is to reinforce the capacity of education systems to address issues such as conspiracy theories, antisemitic prejudices and stereotypes, online hate speech and to respond to incidents of antisemitism.
Rising antisemitism in Europe, also on social media
A new report published in March this year, by B’nai B’rith International reveals that aggressive rallies spreading antisemitic and extremist ideologies are being organized in countries across the European Union, glorifying the crimes of the Holocaust.
Unfortunately, antisemitism and denial and distortion of the Holocaust continue to proliferate also on online platforms, and the figures are alarming. UNESCO research, published with the United Nations in 2022 found that an average of 16% of social media posts on the Holocaust falsified history, and this rate rose to 49% on Telegram, which is not moderated at all. Between 2020 and 2021, EU research pointed to a seven-fold increase in antisemitic posting on French language social media accounts, and over a thirteen-fold increase in antisemitic comments within the German channels studied.
In March 2023, a new study was published showing that the volume of antisemitic Tweets more than doubled in just over three months after the change of ownership of Twitter. Between late October 2022 and early February 2023, the number of antisemitic Tweets on the platform increased by 105%. As the UN agency with the mandate to protect freedom of expression, UNESCO is leading a series of global consultations with governments, regulatory bodies, civil society and the private sector to develop guidelines for the regulation of digital platforms. The guidelines will allow the online scourge of disinformation, conspiracy theories and hate speech to be addressed, while protecting freedom of expression and other human rights.
Systemic change is needed
UNESCO will conduct research on how textbooks treat the topics of antisemitism, Jewish life, history and culture, as part of its efforts to help root out antisemitism in Europe. The Organization will also assess European teachers’ preparedness, and propose effective pedagogies and learning activities to address antisemitism. It will make recommendations for all EU Member States.
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director General for Education, said,“Education is fundamental to tackling hatred and prejudice. Our joint responsibility is to harness its transformative power to build the resilience of teachers, schools and young people against antisemitism. By doing so, we pay tribute to the memory of those who suffered from it and let our societies, including the Jewish population, flourish”.
Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said, “Building a Europe free from hate and antisemitism starts in the classroom. As part of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, we will support EU Member States to train teachers, education professionals and policy-makers on how to address antisemitism through education. I am pleased to officially launch this important initiative today with UNESCO and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.”
European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said, “For as long as there was living memory, the testimonies of Holocaust survivors have been the most powerful way for the young generations to learn about the Holocaust, and to be able to confront distortion or trivialization. Now that the generational gap is widening, we need to redouble our efforts and ensure that every pupil in the European Union is able to recognize antisemitism, prejudice, disinformation, conspiracy theories, hate acts and discrimination for what it is.’’
European Jewish Congress President Dr Ariel Muzicant said, “The development of programmes for educators to address contemporary forms of antisemitism is intrinsically in line with the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life adopted by the European Commission in 2021. It is vital to find innovate ways to combat anti-Jewish hatred and the EJC very much welcomes this important initiative that will definitely have a significant impact in the educational world.” (@OnuItalia)
