Wiesenthal Center Commends European Parliament's Linkage of Iranian Regime's Genocidal Threats Against Israel, Human Rights Outrages and Holocaust Denial to Tehran's Nuclear Program

February 15, 2006

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Wiesenthal Center Commends European Parliament's Linkage of Iranian Regime's Genocidal Threats Against Israel, Human Rights Outrages and Holocaust Denial to Tehran's Nuclear Program

European Parliament, Strasbourg

The Simon Wiesenthal Center commended today's debate on a joint resolution in the European Parliament on the confrontation between Iran and the International Community as, "The clearest indication yet that Europe's political leaders from Left to Right recognize the unprecedented dangers posed by a regime guilty of horrific human rights outrages and threatening genocide against Israel, even as it pursues its nuclear weapons program," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper and Dr. Shimon Samuels, senior officials of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who are in Strasbourg monitoring the European Parliament on behalf of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish Human rights NGO.

Characteristic of today's debate are statements by:
—MEP Gerard Batten (Independent, UK): "An Iranian nuclear device could be the greatest suicide bomb ever..."
—Pierre Schapira (Socialist, France): "President Ahmedinejad speaks in antisemitic terms..."
—MEP Martin Schultz (Socialist, Germany): "Iran is a regime that is testing the limits... It opposes all our values. There may be other partners in Iran with whom we should dialogue..."
—MEP Jana Hybaskova (Conservative, Czech Republic) "The US and Israel will not rescue us, Europe must act."

The Wiesenthal Center representatives met with leading MEPs of all party groups to urge that Europeans communicate over the heads of the Mullahs to the citizens of Iran. The Jewish human rights group is currently working with Iranian media in the West to counter Ahmedinejad's Holocaust denial by providing its Oscar winning documentary "Genocide" for satellite broadcast in Farsi into Iran. "There can be no real progress on the nuclear track without solidarity and action by the international against Iran's human rights violation and its campaign of antisemitism," charged Rabbi Cooper, the Center's Associate Dean, based in Los Angeles.

The Center's Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, added, "Failure to stand up to all of Iran's threats to global stability, including its genocidal intent and exploitation of terrorism, would betray pro-democratic forces inside the country."

The Wiesenthal Center is campaigning for the member states of the European Union, UNESCO and other international bodies to suspend cultural exchange programs with the current Iranian regime unless and until it changes its policies of threats and aggression.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

For more information please contact Dr. Samuels at +33 609770158 or Rabbi Cooper (US cell) +1 310-210-9750