“On the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief, the EU stands in solidarity with all victims of persecution, wherever they may be.
In these times of armed conflicts and humanitarian crises across the globe, individuals, including those belonging to minority groups, continue to be discriminated against, persecuted targeted, killed, detained, expelled or forcefully displaced because of their religion or for holding humanists and /or atheist beliefs. Today is an opportunity to highlight their situation.
The EU stresses the importance of ensuring the protection of religious heritage sites and places of worship, especially when groups of people gathered in these places face threats. We strongly condemn all acts of unlawful destruction of cultural heritage, which are often committed during or in the aftermath of armed conflict around the world, or as a result of terrorist attacks, and urge all parties to armed conflicts to refrain from any unlawful military use or targeting of cultural property.
Religion cannot be used to justify human rights violations and abuses or to fuel violence. No matter where, what or why, violence, discrimination and intimidation on the grounds of religion or belief has to stop immediately.”
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