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Solidarity Sabbath combats anti-Semitism

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Publication date 22.5.2015 8.00
Press release 136/2015

Finland together with a number of European countries will join the Solidarity Sabbath on Friday 22 May. The campaign aims to highlight the need to confront the tide of anti-Semitism: hate incidents and hate speech have increased in the recent years on both sides of the Atlantic.

On that day, the participating states will in various ways express their commitment to the combat against anti-Semitism. U.S. President Barack Obama, for example, will speak on the topic at a synagogue in Washington, D.C. Finland will inform about its response to anti-Semitism.

Finland is committed to the combat of anti-Semitism as a part of its activities to fight discrimination and racism in order to guarantee the right of freedom to religion and to opinion. It is increasingly important to try to fight speech that incites hate incidents both on the internet and also more widely. The Government's Human Rights Report to Parliament, adopted in 2014, expresses commitment to zero tolerance in respect of all hate speech.

Following a change in the secondary and upper secondary school curriculums, adopted in 2010, holocaust has been a part of the ethics and human rights education. On the Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 November, several memorial events are arranged also in Finland. In the main event in 2015, the keynote address will be delivered by President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö.

The movement is organised by the Lantos Foundation, a human rights foundation based in the U.S.A. Further information about the content of the Solidarity Sabbath is available at http://solidaritysabbath.org/. Visitors to the web page can also express their support for the cause by signing the pledge.

Inquiries: Rauno Merisaari, Ambassador for Human Rights Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 974.

 
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