Samuel Paty wasn't protected and he should have been. The new law
to get terrorism propaganda and incitement to violence off the
internet urgently needs to be put in place. Ahead of tomorrow's
trilogue negotiations, the EPP Group calls on the S&D and the
Greens to stop putting ideology before security and stop blocking
the new law.
"The brutal murder of teacher Samuel Paty in France by a
radicalised Islamist was largely set out on social media with
religiously motivated messages inciting violence. They were not
hate messages; they were real incitement to crime. Despite this,
the Left in the European Parliament continues to block a new law
to stop the spread of terrorism and radicalisation propaganda on
the internet", said Javier Zarzalejos MEP, EPP Group negotiator
on the legislation to prevent the dissemination of terrorist
content online.
"The EPP Group has insisted over and over again on the necessity
of having a legal instrument that allows for swift and effective
action against the dissemination of terrorist content online. To
this purpose, we have been tabling proposals. Unfortunately, we
have not found the same willingness in other political groups to
take this legislation forward", stressed Zarzalejos.
"Particularly concerning are the Left’s attempts to unnecessarily
complicate the procedure for cross-border removal orders. Their
insistence upon an active confirmation of each order to take away
terrorist propaganda will cause unnecessary administrative
burdens. The package that was put on the table by the German
Presidency includes a clear definition of what constitutes
terrorist content. It also contains many safeguards that minimise
the risk of abuse, including a right to raise fundamental rights
concerns. However, we are ready to make every effort to reach an
agreement on this law. We call on the other political groups to
engage in this aim", he concluded.
Once adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, the new
rules will apply to all internet companies offering services in
the EU when they make content publicly available.
