Sarah's speech on extremism in Europe

Speech by Sarah Ludford MEP delivered to European Parliament on Wed 12th Dec 2007

Mr President, eight years ago Jörg Haider's immigrant-hating party entered into a coalition government in Austria. EU governments did not have a clue what to do. As a result of that disarray, Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union was inserted. It has never been used and it is clear that Member States have a cultural problem in criticising each other. But we have to have a more proactive policy of peer review when Member States call each other to account, because it is an EU concern if extremists and intolerant parties enter into government in one EU country.

The criminal law has a solid role in punishing incitement to hatred, alongside provisions outlawing discrimination. The law can help change attitudes, as well as behaviour. Society signals the limits of acceptability in part by what it criminalises or bans. That is why I was so disappointed that the Commission apparently found the Italian Government deportation action against Romanians, largely Roma, and the accompanying rhetoric, compliant with EU free movement and anti-racism laws. Personally, I did not.

But the law can and should only go so far. For instance, the question of whether to criminalise Holocaust denial is a controversial one in Europe. The recently agreed new EU law banning incitement to racial and religious hatred was right, in my view, to leave that option to individual countries. My own country's tradition and preference is to leave people like David Irving to condemn themselves by the absurdity of their unhistorical views and to be contradicted by vigorous debate.

Those of us in the mainstream parties do not have to be intimidated by the thugs and bully boys of the extremist right, left or fundamentalists of any kind. Liberal democrats - and I use that term with a small 'l' - of all democratic parties are just as confident and passionate about our commitment to a generous, inclusive, European vision as they are to their mean intolerance. Let us constantly express that.