The foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Italy came out with a statement Tuesday condemning the anti-Semitism that has been present amid anti-Israel riots across the continent.

The Associated Press reports that a joint statement releaseed by Ministers Laurent Fabius of France, Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, and Frederica Mogherini of Italy declared that “[a]nti-Semitic rhetoric and hostility against Jews, attacks on people of Jewish belief and synagogues have no place in our societies.” Furthermore, while the three ministers expressed their support for freedoms of speech and assembly, they will oppose “acts and statements that cross the line to anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia.”

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) was encouraged by the statement. AJC President David Harris said:

At a time when “Death to the Jews” chants can be heard at public gatherings in European capitals, allegedly in protests against Israel, the bold, timely and unambiguous words of the three foreign ministers send a strong message that should be embraced by all EU member states. Now the challenge will be to translate the clear words into equally clear actions. Threats to Europe’s Jews threaten Europe’s core values and very future.

A report in The New York Times attributed the hostile words and actions to a “radical fringe,” but the foreign ministers’ joint statement points to a widespread threat.

The Wall Street Journal‘s Sohrab Ahmari, in the video embedded below, described the violence as exposing the “moral bankruptcy of the pro-Palestinian movement as it exists now and the extent to which it blurs the line between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism.”

In Turkey, politicians and government officials incited anti-Semitic violence. In France, a representative of the Jewish community declared that the situation was “out of control.”

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