EU official accused of anti-Semitism returns to his job while the mills of justice are slowly grinding

The EU official who was involved in an anti-Semitic incident in Brussels last July resigned this week (29.2) from the local staff committee, where he had been working full-time, and returned to his regular job at the European Commission. In a letter to the staff committee which has been seen by The Brussels Times the official explained that he now wants to focus on his career and family. He also claims that “certain elements in the committee have been trying to capitalise politically on the incident” and that he does not feel safe there.

As previously reported, he became entangled in a dispute at a popular coffee bar in Brussels with another Commission official. The dispute quickly degenerated into what appears to have been a hate crime. He allegedly assaulted the other person and insulted her verbally in the belief that she was Jewish.

In a message to all Commission staff, Kristalina Georgieva, European Commission Vice-President for Budget and Human Resources, wrote then:

“If true, this is very troubling, as it goes against our fundamental values. The European Commission has zero tolerance for any act of racism, hate speech or other unethical behaviour by our staff, including anti-Semitic actions. This is explicit in our rules.”

It was assumed at the time that the Commission would carry out an internal investigation in parallel with the case being prosecuted in a Belgian court. The results of the investigation, if it took place, have not been disclosed to The Brussels Times.

A Commission official told The Brussels Times that “The investigation by the Belgian authorities is ongoing and we have to wait for their conclusions before we can proceed further.” The local staff committee declined to comment on the continued work and resignation of the EU official.

 

The Brussels Times


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