The State of the Union address focuses on the Chinese president’s first visit to Europe in five years and the alarming rise in anti-Semitism worldwide and its impact on grassroots organisations.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Europe for the first time in five years.
It’s a visit light on content but rich in symbolism, starting in France and then on to Hungary and Serbia, two countries with close ties to Russia and a subtle reminder of where China really stands.
In Paris, electric cars and the looming trade dispute over Ukraine dominated discussions at Xi’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The latter is of particular concern to Europe, as Beijing has recently ramped up sales to Russia of dual-use components used in missiles and drones, making European efforts to persuade China not to support Moscow sound more like armchair theory.
“We expect China to use all its influence over Russia to end its war of aggression against Ukraine,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the meeting. “President Xi has played an important role in mitigating Russia’s irresponsible nuclear threat and we are confident that he will continue to do so.”
Xi’s visit to Europe comes at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, against a backdrop of increasing political violence in Europe, including the assault of a German member of the European Parliament by four strangers a week ago, and an increase in violence against Jews and Muslims.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made this point this week but said violence against Muslims was not receiving much attention.
“There are differences in Europe when it comes to fighting hate crimes. Unfortunately, the sensitivity shown towards anti-Semitism is immune to attacks such as those resulting from Islamophobia or racism.”
Hatred towards Jews and Muslims has reached new levels and appears to be amplified by social media.
For example, a new study from Tel Aviv University finds that a global trend in anti-Semitic incidents has skyrocketed to levels not seen since World War II and that it began long before Hamas’ attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza.
This creates enormous challenges for grassroots organisations working for tolerance and understanding in Europe.
We spoke to Ilan Kohn, director of HIAS Europe, one of the world’s oldest refugee aid organizations.
EURONEWS: First, I want to ask you about the surge in anti-Semitism in the world. How has that affected your work?
CORN: Well, our roots are deep in the Jewish community, so before we became a general humanitarian organization, we started off by helping Jews, helping all refugees regardless of where they were. But now, like almost every other Jewish community organization in Europe, we have to be mindful of our work in Europe and the U.S. as well when we receive people into our offices.
Euronews: Through its EU-funded Neighbours project, HIAS is promoting interreligious dialogue in several European cities and trying to bring Jews and Muslims together. Is this easier at a community level than in national or international discussions?
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COHN: Absolutely. I think it’s a little easier on a community level, in part because it’s less visible. In fact, by starting coalitions in eight European cities as part of this Neighborhood Project, we’ve built a foundation of trust, relationships, and friendship between Jewish communities and their immigrant neighbors, so that when crises come, at least there’s a foundation to address those tensions.
EURONEWS: What kind of feedback are you receiving?
COHN: After the October 7 attacks, I think there was a lot of concern within the project community that we wouldn’t be able to continue the investment in coalition building, in visiting each other, in the synagogue, in opening up. And there was a fear that it would all end. But it was quite the opposite. What we saw was that it was the friendships and relationships that were built through the project in the first two years of the project that really helped sustain the process.
EuroNews: HIAS was originally founded in 1881 as the Jewish Emigrant Aid Society to provide humanitarian assistance to Jewish refugees to the U.S. Currently, in Europe, our focus is on helping Ukrainian refugees in Eastern Europe. Tell us about your current experience. What are you seeing?
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CORN: We have 17 Jewish communities across Europe supporting over 1,100 Ukrainian refugees. It’s really difficult to keep that interest and mobilize after two years.
Finally, going back to Xi Jinping’s visit to Hungary, in Budapest he missed the opportunity to visit Budapest’s unique bar, the Four Sale Pub.
Perhaps it’s because this saloon has always been a symbol of freedom: the owner named it after an old “For Sale” sign he found when he bought it.
What makes this pub unique are the thousands of handwritten notes plastered on the walls and ceilings.
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The notes are often written in the visitor’s native language and include greetings, thoughts and political messages to communicate with future visitors.
The pub is always full – not bad for an establishment that doesn’t advertise or have any social media accounts.
But that is the power of freedom of expression.
