Open Letter to European leaders:
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) meeting in Brussels on 6-7 June 2026 condemns patriarchal hatred that seeks to divide rather than unite across Europe.
The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights, the 2009 European Charter of Fundament Rights, legally binding in all EU Member States guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms to more than 700 million Europeans (European Union and beyond).
Today, in 2026 their principles are eroding in the face of religious intolerance and anti-religious prejudice, which give rise to patriarchal hate speech, including public incitement to violence, hatred, and discrimination against individuals or groups, particularly women.
This type of hate speech goes beyond the scope of free speech and threatens social cohesion. We are witnessing the targeting of lawmakers, feminists organisations, women leaders and decision-makers, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others who speak out against the hatred that seeks to divide rather than unite.
Cyberattacks remain unchecked and uncontrollable to this day, and all these misogynistic attacks are further undermining our democracies, which regrettably are on the rise while impunity reigns.
The mechanisms and implications of this pose a real major threat, and the EWL calls for freedom of conscience and respect for religions in the face of the extremely worrying resurgence of antisemitism in Europe, as well as contempt toward other religions, other ethnic origins and different identities.
The EWL refuses to be drawn into the turmoil created by male leaders around the world, and calls to unequivocally condemn all forms of increasing patriarchal hatred based on religion, ethnicity, and all other grounds.
We insist on the urgency to create a robust legislative framework and inclusive policies to address and combat the growing impact of such discourses on women and children, especially girls —both as victims and, as perpetrators, particularly boys.
We call on European leaders to take action now to condemn such acts, which are incompatible with the full enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms, a crucial value of the EU.
