[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Pages 29729-29730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HATE CRIMES, BIGOTRY AND ANTI-SEMITISM

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today I attended a hearing of the Helsinki 
Commission on the increase in anti-Semitism and extremist political 
parties in Europe.
  I take a deep interest in hate crimes, bigotry, and anti-Semitism. In 
our society, these issues are mostly restricted to the political 
fringe. Nobody in this country would gain widespread electoral support 
for the formation of an explicitly racist party. We are perhaps unique 
in that respect. In Europe, these parties are not only formed--they are 
prospering.
  Today's hearing did much to highlight the rise of bigotry and 
discrimination in Europe. A number of experienced witnesses from the 
U.N., executive branch, and nonprofit sector described the political 
situation in Europe today, and it is alarming. Across the continent, 
extremist groups are parading openly and gaining support. In Russia, 
two thousand supporters of a fascist organization rallied on November 
4, the country's National Day, to shout xenophobic and anti-Semitic 
slogans. Many gave the Hitler salute. This in Russia, which suffered 
more from the aggression of Nazism than perhaps any other nation in the 
world.
  In Hungary last month, 600 people were sworn in as new members of the 
extremist, paramilitary ``Hungarian Guard,'' wearing uniforms similar 
to those of the World War II fascist government. By its own account, 
the Guard has thousands of applications to join its ranks, at a time 
when the elected Hungarian government is already unpopular because of 
its previous deceptive election campaign. This criticism led to 
widespread street violence last year, creating a tense environment ripe 
for radicalization. The Hungarian Guard is supported by the rightwing 
political party Jobbik, which is small but virulent. The Prime Minister 
of Hungary likened the formation of the Hungarian Guard to the 
increasing influence of Brownshirts in Hitler's Germany, a comparison 
which seems to me--at least at an early stage--to be apt. The Jewish 
community in Hungary is understandably wary of its new Guard, and I 
feel it is incumbent upon all of us to watch future events in that 
country closely.
  But it is not just the fringe organizations which are growing in 
popularity; inch by inch, more moderate groups with the similar tenets 
are moving to the mainstream. Last month, the somewhat xenophobic Swiss 
People's Party, SVP, romped to significant success in Switzerland's 
national election. Perhaps this should not be cause for excessive 
alarm. After all, Switzerland has a highly developed political system, 
with a republican tradition dating back hundreds of years. These people 
are also not marginalized discontents with a perennial grudge on their 
shoulder; indeed, they seem to address several issues about which the 
average Swiss citizen is concerned. But if there is not cause for 
alarm, there is certainly cause for unease. One reason is an election 
poster used by the SVP, depicting a white sheep kicking a black sheep 
off of the flag of Switzerland. Because of its racial overtones, the 
U.N. has already condemned the poster, though the SVP claimed during 
the campaign the poster was not racist. Perhaps.
  I do not believe that the SVP are a fascist party, as some of its 
critics allege. However, its success is indicative of a potentially 
ugly mood across the Atlantic, as Europeans born into welfare state 
luxury are unsure how globalization and the mobility of capital will 
affect their economic birthright. In uncertain economic times, 
opprobrium then falls easily on traditional scapegoats; Jews, gypsies, 
and other minorities. It is critical for the Europeans to remember that 
these minorities are no less citizens for being different. They lead 
law-abiding lives, pay their taxes, and serve in the military. It does 
not thus stand to reason that European societies can treat them 
eternally as second-class citizens.
  Groups like the Hungarian Guard would likely protest that their rigid 
stance is only aimed at those who become illegal, who commit crimes or 
threaten Hungary's law-and-order. But given the heated rhetoric on this 
issue, and the current torrid geopolitical climate, the status of 
minorities, particularly Jews and Muslims, in Western countries is an 
issue which needs to be tackled carefully. Many of the current 
challenges facing the world are rooted in the Middle Eastern and 
Islamic nations, and it would be foolish to place lives in jeopardy 
over election-day rhetoric.
  Coincidental with rise of the Hungarian Guard and its ilk, there is 
another factor I find particularly troubling: the increase in overall 
anti-Semitism in Europe. This has several possible causes, and I 
certainly do not want to lay the blame solely on the shoulders of 
rightwing extremists. Passions arising from the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict surely play a part, especially considering the large Muslim 
population in these countries. But it does seem true that there is 
still a strain of the old European anti-Semitism running through the 
Hungarian Guard, Russian fascists, and their like, a disturbing taint 
which has never quite vanished from European political culture.
  Anti-Semitic violence was one of the terrible specters of the last 
century. After the Second World War, Europeans made a solemn commitment 
never to let such hatred loose again on their citizens of Jewish faith. 
Despite neo-Nazi movements in several countries, the European 
commitment to this resolution has been impressive. It is equally 
important to remember, however, just how recently was the Holocaust. 
The slaughter was ended 62 years ago, and many still live who were 
caught in its vice. In the breadth of human existence, 62 years is 
barely a lifetime. So I strongly believe it is necessary, even as 
extremist parties become increasingly visible, that responsible leaders 
recommit themselves to the eradication of anti-Semitism in their 
realms.
  Uncertain times often lead men to seek the simplest solutions, the 
elements of their national culture with which they are the most 
comfortable. Two of these traditions are, unfortunately, extremist 
nationalism and anti-Semitism. Given the history of Europe, each nation 
should redouble its efforts to make peace with those in their ranks who 
are different. And it is also up to Europe to ensure that when they say 
``never again,'' they mean it.

[[Page 29730]]



                          ____________________