Kick racism out of Europe

10.43.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 20th Jun 2007

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman, is calling on MEPs to strongly back in votes tomorrow a European Parliament report endorsing an EU-wide law on tackling race hate crime.

Sarah Ludford said:

"The European Union needs to kick racism out of Europe, and this law is long overdue but essential. Requiring all EU states to have criminal provisions to punish race attacks and incitement to hatred similar to the UK will mean no hiding place for the perpetrators and more protection for Brits abroad."

Regarding recent reports about the England Under-21s 2-0 game against Serbia, Baroness Ludford continued:

"Our players faced appalling racial abuse and chanting in Holland, and I applaud Stuart Pearce's team for the professional manner in which they conducted themselves. But the EU must finally make clear that bigots have no place in modern European society and that action motivated by race hate will mean jail."

"The agreement on the text rightly respects long-established British laws. Other countries' laws, such as the ban on Holocaust denial as such in Germany, do not easily cross international borders. The way to deal with David Irving-type fantasies is drag them into the public arena and counter them with rational proof and education."