The European Jewish Congress co-hosted with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) preparatory talks between lawmakers, Jewish leaders, tech experts, and social media companies ahead of the second Summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism in Brussels.
The Task Force is spearheaded by a Steering Committee, which includes MEP David Lega, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (U.S.), Anthony Housefather MP (Canada), and former MK Michal Cotler-Wunsh (Israel). Legislators from the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Israel were among the 16 parliamentarians who attended the summit.
Building on the successful first conference that took place in Washington D.C. in September 2022, this summit brought together parliamentarians from across the world, representatives of major online platforms as well as tech experts from civil society for a series of high-level meetings and discussions on the matter.
The members of the Task Force held a hearing with representatives of social media companies, including Twitter, Meta, and YouTube, in the European Parliament. During the hearing, parliamentarians emphasized their demands for greater accountability and transparency from these companies. They stressed the urgent need for swift and effective removal of antisemitic content found online, while also advocating for the implementation of the European Digital Services Act (DSA) and the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines by the social media platforms.
Parliamentarians also held discussions on shared concerns with Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Katharina Von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life. At the same time, participants met with representatives of leading Jewish organisations, including the European Jewish Congress.
On June 26, parliamentarians, Ambassadors, and high-level decision-makers attended an opening dinner of the summit hosted by the European Jewish Congress (EJC) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
