EU anti-terror chief urges fight against 'anti-Muslim behavior'

By Ilgin Karlidag

BRUSSELS

The European Union’s anti-terror chief called Thursday on EU member states to fight against discrimination and Islamophobia in Europe as part of an anti-terror strategy.

EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove spoke to reporters in the Latvian capital Riga where EU interior ministers gathered to discuss the fight against terrorism following the Paris attack earlier this month and anti-terror raids across Belgium.

De Kerchove said the ministers are also expected to ''invite the (European) Commission to do more in terms of cohesion….in terms of fighting against discrimination…anti-Muslim anti-Islamic behavior…as well as anti-Semitic (behavior).''

EU officials have warned of discrimination against European Muslims in order to prevent radicalization, especially following anti-Islam protests in Germany and a series of arson attacks on mosques in Sweden.

Encryption and “Passenger Name Record” system

EU officials are also calling for an increase in anti-terrorism measures and the implementation of the “Passenger Name Record,” which forces airlines to share passenger data with governments within the bloc.

Critics argue that the system is a violation of European citizens' rights to privacy. 

''(The) EU home affairs ministers meeting in Riga must not present false solutions to create the pretense of security, such as this EU PNR scheme," Jan Philipp Albrecht, home affairs spokesman of the Greens in the European Parliament, said in a statement Wednesday. "This would be counter-productive and undermine the fundamental rights of ordinary EU citizens, without providing any greater security.''

De Kerchove also wants internet and telecommunication companies to share encryption keys with police agencies to track and fight against terror threats.

EU leaders will gather again on Feb. 12 to discuss plans to combat terrorism at a summit in Brussels where they are expected to adopt an anti-terror package.