Turkish NGO receiving EU funds pays tribute to former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh

Priority question for written answer P-001517/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Fabrice Leggeri (PfE)

Although the Rassemblement National helped to suspend the Commission's payments to an Islamo-nationalist Turkish Brotherhood, which is misogynistic and hostile towards European civilisation[1], the Journal du Dimanche, a French newspaper, has just revealed[2] that a controversial Turkish NGO receiving EU funds paid tribute in a tweet[3] to the 'martyr' Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of Hamas. The EU classes Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

Between 2021 and 2023, through the Erasmus+ programme, the Commission did indeed finance no less than four projects led by the youth section of the Al Sharq Forum, an NGO founded by the former Director General of the Qatari channel Al Jazeera, which claims that its aim is to 'consolidate the values of pluralism and justice'. The total sum of these financial contributions amounts to 110 279 EUR[4].

European taxpayers have therefore financed Al-Sharq Forum's 'Impact Platform' social incubation programme, which - among other things - has strengthened the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations' (FEMYSO) training programme, 'FEMYSO Academy'[5]. As a reminder, this Brotherhood organisation made headlines in 2021 with its 'Freedom is in the hijab' campaign, which was financed by the EU.

Now that a tribute of this kind has been paid to the leader of a terrorist organisation responsible for a pogrom during which 1 200 people were killed on 7 October 2023, will the Commission finally stop handing over EU funds to this Turkish NGO?

Submitted: 17.8.2024

• [1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-9-2023-002384_EN.html
• [2] https://www.lejdd.fr/international/une-ong-financee-par-lunion-europeenne-rend-hommage-au-martyr-ismail-haniyeh-lex-chef-du-hamas-148568.
• [3] https://x.com/sharqyouth/status/1819454212763242596?s=12&t=BA8bZwb7Haunbvzca9wNhA.
• [4] https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/?page=1&sort=&domain=eplus2021&view=grid&map=false&searchType=projects&coordinatorOrgName=%25F0%259F%2587%25B9%25F0%259F%2587%25B7+%25C5%259Fark+forum+derne%25C4%259Fi&coordinatorPIC=E10243436.
• [5] https://x.com/sharqyouth/status/1516716909705760771?s=12&t=BA8bZwb7Haunbvzca9wNhA.