The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) President was verbally abused at the closing plenary of the European Youth Forum (YFJ) Level Up! event in Brussels on Saturday after proceedings were interupted by anti-Israel activists, according to EUJS and YFJ statements.
During the closing section of the event in held in the hemicycle of the European Parliament, according to a Saturday EUJS statement and videos they published some participants began to shout “free Palestine”, “ceasefire now” and accuse Israel of committing genocide. After requesting the floor, an activist taught the forum how to say "Free Palestine” in sign language.
YFJ said in a Sunday statement that the diversion from the programme was "beyond our contol," but EUJS asserted that moderators and YFJ board and staff members joined much of the forum in clapping for the activists.
'Hatred in the participants' eyes'
In a video published by the Jewish student group on social media, EUJS President and head of the delegation Emma Hallali condemned importing "the conflict that is happening in Israel and Palestine." In the video, Hallali was booed and insulted. Hallali was reportedly told that she was engaging in hate speech and was a "fascist Zionist." Hallali left the room in protest of the moderators not immediately condemning the incident, EUJS told The Jerusalem Post.
EUJS calls the @Youth_Forum to issue a strong condemnation of the appalling and intolerable circumstances that happened this evening in the hemicycle of the @Europarl_EN , unequivocally standing in solidarity with Jewish students. pic.twitter.com/u3bsCO7G9P
— EUJS - European Union of Jewish Students (@EUJS) April 13, 2024
“I saw violence and hatred in the participants' eyes," Hallali said in the Saturday statement. "I have never experienced this aggressiveness before, but this is what European Jews are experiencing on a daily basis across Europe.”
YFJ assured that it stood "against any form of antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, xenophobia, racism and any kind of hate speech. We protect free speech and young people expressing their voice; we will not, however, tolerate any aggression against our participants."
"As soon as the moderators noticed that a participant was being verbally abused, they intervened to stop this behaviour," YFJ claimed.
Former EUJS President and current YFJ VP Elias Dray said in a Sunday statement that he had soon after the incident told the crowd in his closing address that "peace never comes from one side only. I invite you to look for sides that promote peace together."
My personal statement on the closing of LevelUp!2024. pic.twitter.com/m0dyqywxie
— Elias Dray (@Elias_Dray) April 14, 2024
EUJS said that its delegation had been publicly humiliated, despite its recent efforts to promote dialogue and counter polarization.
"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," EUJS said in its statement. "As if the whole situation was not tense enough, some of the participants approached the EUJS delegation diminishing their visible sense of vulnerability."
Dray also said that he also had felt unsafe, and that those that called the incident antisemitic had the right to do so. Forum delegates shared what the vice president called "antisemitic [Instagram] stories" about him, in which they called him the "zionist vice-president."
"I was deeply hurt by the blatant, despising, objectifying and disdainful tone," Dray said on X on Tuesday, explaining that they were using the term as a slur. "This serves as a reminder that youth spaces are not impermeable to antisemitism."
Dray added that he had contacted the member organization about the issue, and that they had assured him that the matter would be dealt with.
EUJS, which has been working with the European student group since 1982, called on YFJ to condemn the treatment of its delegation.
"We condemn all forms of abuse and attempts to silence any participant, and we apologise for this experience and for the unsafe atmosphere which surrounded these moments," said YFJ. "We are committed to provide safer spaces for all our participants. Together with our team and partners we will evaluate and learn from this incident. We offer our support to EUJS and any other persons and organisations who were affected."
Bnai Brith International and the American Jewish Committee expressed solidarity with EUJS on social media on Sunday. AJC said that "The EU has no business funding NGOs that threaten Jewish students. We need a swift investigation and consequences for those responsible."
Johannes Bormann, who works with the EU Commission on Holocaust remembrance, called the incident outrageous on social media on Sunday. EU Commision Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life Katharina von Schnurbein said on X on Sunday that it was unacceptable that debates about European Parliament and elections were hijacked "in a way that Jews no longer feel safe."