10
Oct
2024
Watch
The rise of religious intolerance in Europe (continuation of debate)
Madam President, when I was 20, I joined the Green Party because of their commitment to combating all forms of discrimination, anti-Semitism and equal rights. I did so because I grew up with the nagging discourse of the extreme right, which, as here in this House, kept repeating "You are, you immigrants, the problem of France and Europe", thus erasing their contribution to the reconstruction and liberation of Europe. Today, this discourse reduces citizens to an ethnic identity, to a religious identity. It weakens citizenship so much that researchers have shown that young people are leaving Europe because of this atmosphere. If we want to fight intolerance in Europe, if we want a united Europe, let us stop these speeches of rejection.