News

Anti-Semitism is widespread in Molenbeek

15 April 2016

Following last week’s policy briefing on the Brussels’ terror attacks: lessons learned and challenges ahead of Europe, the European Foundation for Democracy, that organised the event alongside the European Policy Center and the Counter Extremism Project, is mentioned by the European Jewish Press.

The article expresses concern over the statements made by Alain Destexhe, a member of the Belgian parliament for the Liberal governing party and former Secretary General of the association Doctors Without Borders. In fact, Mr. Destexhe claims that “Belgium has allowed over the years the creation of a parallel society in these neighborhoods where people don’t share the same European values”. In this parallel society, continues Mr. Destexhe, public schools cannot teach their pupils about the Holocaust, although compulsory within the Belgian education system, without expecting to deal with the consequences of riots.

The only solution to this problem in Mr. Destexhe’s opinion is to work towards a better integration of the immigrants that have been entering Belgium in the past few years.

This article is in English and can be read here.