European Trade Union Committee for Education

The ETUCE Conference notes:

·In the past five years, far-right parties have gained ground across Europe. Resistance efforts, led by the labour movement and supported by education unions, have seen some success. However, these gains have been undermined by actions taken by national governments and the European Commission. As economic crises and social inequalities worsen, there is a risk of further growth in right-wing populism, autocratic regimes, and anti-democratic alliances in Europe.

·Every day, people are attacked for racist motives or because of their commitment to democracy and diversity - on the street, in social media and in parliaments. The violent manifestation of far-right politics is having a dangerous impact on students and young people, both in the rise of hatred and abuse in schools, and also in terms of attacks on peaceful protest.

·Right-wing populist narratives have moved from the public debate into the playground and the classroom. As children’s exposure to social media grows and these narratives spread on such platforms, views such as hostility towards and targeting of migrants and refugees, promotion of misogynistic, racist and reactionary influencers, and influencers that spread conspiracy theories, attacks on minority groups and the LGBTQ+ community increase. Covid and Climate Change denialism are now regularly making their way into school discourse;

·Education personnel are currently targeted by far-right groups, they are openly abused and they regularly experience parental attacks, inspired by far-right ideology, such as denouncing teachers who express a political opinion and reporting ‘left wing indoctrination’ in the classroom;

The ETUCE conference asserts:

·The crucial role of education trade unions in responding to the spread of far-right ideologies across Europe;

·The growth of the extreme far-right in Europe continues to pose a grave threat to democracy and a particular threat to trade unions;

·The Trade union movement is historically a pillar for building a democratic, egalitarian and just society and any legislation to curtail its action must be resisted;

·The need to strengthen political education and education for democratic citizenship.

·The right to protest is a fundamental democratic value and any actions to undermine it must be firmly opposed.

·The need to buildalliances with all members of educational community, families representatives, pupils and students, associations to fight far right.

The ETUCE Conference mandates ETUCE to:

·Consider how to implement the EI 2024 World Congress resolution “ DEFENDING DEMOCRACY AGAINST RIGHT-WING POPULISM AND EXTREMISM IN EDUCATION” within the European region.

·Convene discussions to strengthen Education Unions response to the impact of the growth of the far-right on teachers and educators in their own contexts.

·Promote debates to strengthen Education Unions response to anti-immigration discourse and its implication on schools, teachers and students.

·ETUCE Committee to document local and national experiencesand case studies, discuss strategies to respond to right-wing populism and to act as a resource for education unions to oppose the rise of fascism;

.To consider working together with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), other European Trade Union sector federations and in particular ETUI, in developing joint analyses , strategies and capacity building initiatives, to tackle the growth of the far right, their attacks on democracy and workers' rights in all education sectors.