“Yesterday, at the invitation of Norbert Lammert, President of the Bundestag, I joined the march for tolerance organised in Berlin by Muslim religious leaders in order to take a proactive stand against racism, hatred and intolerance. The President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, and those taking part in the march gave a strong message that terrorism can never act on behalf of religions,” said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Anne Brasseur, speaking during an official visit to Germany.
“The recent tragic events in Paris were not only a direct assault on our physical security, but also on the Council of Europe’s basic values of freedom of opinion and expression, tolerance and mutual respect.
We, as Europeans, are facing a double challenge: the threat of terrorism and insecurity, and the rise of extremist intolerance and xenophobia. The fallout from the attacks in Paris is already fuelling further tension between Muslims and Islamophobic movements.
Since Wednesday, according to the French Council for the Muslim Faith, more than 50 anti-Muslim incidents have been recorded in France, while in Germany anti-Islamic protests are also gathering momentum. This is a worrying sign.
The Parliamentary Assembly believes strongly in diversity and promoting non-discrimination, hence it has set up a “No Hate Parliamentary Alliance”, whereby parliamentarians commit to campaign against intolerance and discrimination, and exchange information on law and best practice in these fields.
I want to applaud all those who have organised and taken part in marches across Europe in recent days. Many PACE members, including the former President of the Assembly Jean-Claude Mignon, marched in Paris and other cities. We all gave a strong message: Nous sommes Charlie, we believe in free expression, and we respect diversity while defending democratic values.