Leo van Doesburg

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Antisemitic EU Sponsored Palestinian Textbooks: the EU Should Take Action!

MEPs raise concerns on the incitements to violence, terrorism, and antisemitism in Palestinian schoolbooks in the disputed areas. A group of 32 members of Parliament addressed a letter to EC President Ursula von der Leyen in which they point at problematic content present in educational materials that are used in Palestinian schools. Their call is strengthened by an adopted text in the EP which condemns the textbooks in which incitements to violence as well as hate and antisemitism are found, as several studies reported. The reoccurrence is unacceptable and ongoing negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) have not achieved much. The European Commission and President Von der Leyen are urged to include conditionality on funds to the PA, if necessary changes in textbooks are not made. Furthermore, the letter criticizes the Commission for failing to reject a controversial report by Amnesty International that characterizes Israel an apartheid state .

Pornography: Harmful to Gender Equality, Human Rights and Particularly Dangerous to Young People

In the end of last year, a far-reaching resolution was adopted in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the “Gender Aspects and Human Rights Implications of Pornography”. The resolution was accompanied by a report . The conclusion is clear: pornography and its industry are harmful. In the resolution, the Parliamentary Assembly condemns pornography and calls upon its members to protect human rights and gender equality, to ban public porn advertisement and block porn websites in the workplace and public institutions among others. The accompanying report extensively highlights the connection between pornography and violence against women and human trafficking; and stresses the negative effects on men, women, and particularly young people. Although some critique and concern remain, this resolution and report should put the issue of pornography back on the agenda and start a debate among politicians and policymakers to rethink and reconsider the vision on pornogra

New EP Resolution: Fighting Foreign Interference or Different Opinions?

On the 9 th of March, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution on ‘foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation’ . Although the issue of foreign interference in EU politics is an important topic, the resolution contains some problematic passages which might have serious consequences for Christians and organizations advocating pro-life and family values. These passages pertain to the depiction of opposing opinions on controversial issues as disinformation and hate speech. Furthermore, the resolution calls for measures against religious institutions when instrumentalized to promote foreign states’ interest. Without proper and irrefutable evidence, this risks to harm religious freedoms. Necessary awareness on these matters is advised.

Human traffickers Prey on Ukrainian Refugees. What Immediate EU Actions are Needed?

As war is waged in Ukraine, thousands and thousands of people seek safety and cross the border in hope to find it. Humanitarian organizations at the Ukrainian-Romanian border are crying for help , because at the Romanian border, human traffickers prey on vulnerable Ukrainian women, children, elderly and handicapped people. Also from organizations from the republic of Moldova I have received similar alarming signals. Already, accounts of missing people and rape have been reported. Help is needed to guarantee the protection of refugees. The European Union is preparing different measures and actions to help. Humanitarian organizations fear it takes too long, as help is needed right away. Humanitarian organizations raise their voices of concern. Ukrainian refugees are vulnerable to human traffickers and criminals seeking to lure them into prostitution. The refugees often do not speak Romanian or English and do not have a passport. As most of the refugees are women, children, elderly and

New European Commission Proposal on Hate speech: a Threat to Fundamental Freedoms?

On Friday 4 th of March, the Justice and Home Affairs Council will meet to discuss and vote on the European Commission’s proposal to include hate speech and hate crime onto the list of EU crimes of Article 83 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The Sun is Rising, The Dawn is coming

Within a few hours, the year 2020 will be ended. For many, this year probably was a very difficult one. It was determined by the Covid-19 pandemic which may have caused you moments of sadness, fear or even anger. We were limited in doing things we normally like doing. Even meeting our loved ones during Easter and Christmas was a challenge for many this year. Such limitations can give us a feeling that we are living in a dark days. But even during these times Christmas still exists, although we celebrated it differently this year. We still were reminded of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in a humble stable in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph were taken away from their loved ones and had to go to that city. And when they arrived to Bethlehem, there was no place for Mary to give birth at, and there were no family or loved ones to welcome the baby. Perhaps a few animals in the stable. How lonely this couple could have felt? Nevertheless, God brought shepherds and wise men to com