The European Union of
Jewish Students (EUJS) says it “strongly condemns” the behavior of an audience
at the European Youth Forum (YFJ).
“During the closing
plenary of the Level Up! event, held in the hemicycle of the European
Parliament, some participants took advantage of a moment of transition to
disrupt the ceremony, shouting ‘Free Palestine,’ ‘Ceasefire Now’ and accusing
Israel of committing genocide,” EUJS says.
“Most of the plenary started
clapping, including the moderators and various board and staff members of the
YFJ. Moreover, after requesting the floor, a participant taught the entire
hemicycle how to say ‘Free Palestine’ in sign language.”
When the head of the
EUJD delegation protested, “the crowd started booing and insulting her,
accusing her of ‘hate speech’ and labelling her as a ‘fascist Zionist.’”
“In a space where
everyone should have felt safe, Jewish students, once again, felt threatened.
Some members of the EUJS delegation started crying and others were shaking,” it
said.
“The incident that
occurred today was a public humiliation for the EUJS President and EUJS as a
whole. This happened within the walls of the European Parliament.”
It calls for a strong
condemnation by the YFJ of the “appalling and intolerable” incident.