EU agency suppresses report on anti-semitism
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The definition of anti-semitism caused problems for the publication of the report (Photo: EUobserver)
The European Union's Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) shelved a report on anti-semitism after it found that Muslims and pro-Palestinian groups were behind many of the incidents, according to the Financial Times.
The agency decided not to publish the 112-page study after clashing with its authors over over their conclusions and the definition of anti-semitism, which included anti-Israel acts, the paper said.
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An unnamed deputy board member of the Vienna-based EU agency confirmed that the directors of the EUMC had found the research biased.
The focus on Muslim and pro-Palestinian perpetrators was judged inflammatory.
An extract from the report obtained by the FT stated: "...it can be concluded that the anti-semitic incidents in the monitoring period were committed above all by rightwing extremists and radical Islamists or young Muslims".
Beate Winkler, EUMC director, told the paper the report was shelved because of problems with time scales but also due to the overly complicated definition of anti-semitism.
The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia aims to provide the EU and its Member States with objective, reliable and comparable information and data on racism, xenophobia, islamophobia and anti-semitism at the European level.
