Members of the European Parliament responded to the construction of antisemitic monuments in Moldova, urging the correction of the "shameful and painful" situation created by the monuments.
On Sunday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) turned to Moldovan President Maia Sandu urgently requesting the removal of two monuments that honor "fanatic Romanian antisemites and Nazi collaborators" and "commemorate events which led to... mass murder."
In an open letter following SWC's request, the MEPs wrote, "We, Members of the European Parliament and signatories of this letter that we present to you today, are particularly concerned about some anti-Semitic monuments built in Moldova. We would like to draw your attention to several monuments in Moldova which honor notorious anti-Semite political figures and commemorate events which led to the mass murder of Romanian Jews in the past."
"Unveiling monuments such as Octavian Goga’s statue in the Alley of Classics in Stephan the Great Central Park Chisinau. Or even the commemoration of the liberation of Bessarabia (region of contemporary Moldova) by the Romanian army in Valea Morilor Park, is an outrageous act.
"The former worships a well-known anti-Semite Octavian Goga. Goga, a Romanian Prime Minister, was also the co-founder of the National Christian Party, which included a swastika on its logo. The Party engaged in anti-Semitic violence, enacted laws that stripped one third of Romanian Jews of their citizenship and carried out acts of violence towards the Jewish community. The liberation of Bessarabia monument honors the mass murder of 150 000 Bessarabian Jews and the subsequent ghettoization and deportation to concentration camps of the remaining Jewish people."
The letter noted that, "Last year, Romania decided to remove a bust of Octavian Goga in the city of Iasi after taking note of his past declarations in the New York Times in which he stated that his country 'had far too many Jews.'"
"While the European Union tries to prevent and combat all forms of antisemitism and antiJewish hatred, what is happening in Moldova is not only very offensive but a huge insult towards victims of the Holocaust and to the entire Jewish community.
"Such actions cannot be tolerated and should be the cause of a great concern. Moldova is expecting to pick up the pace towards EU accession and it is essential that the candidate country aligns with European values, rule of law and ensures minority protection," they stressed.
"We urge the government of Moldova to take necessary measures to correct this shameful and painful situation not only for the Jewish community but for all European citizens."
The letter is signed by MEP Frédérique Ries (Renew, Belgium); MEP Katarina Barley (S&D, Germany); MEP Monika Benova (S&D, Slovakia); MEP Dietmar Köster (S&D, Germany); MEP Ljudmila Novak (EPP, Slovenia); MEP Olivier Chastel (Renew, Belgium); MEP Lukas Mandl (EPP, Austria); MEP Ilana Cicurel (Renew, France); MEP Charles Goerens (Renew, Luxembourg); MEP Pierre Larrouturou (S&D, France); MEP Helmut Geuking (EPP, Germany); MEP Marc Angel (S&D, Luxembourg); and MEP Michael Gahler (EPP, Germany).