Civil society coalition calls on Metsola to address rise in discriminatory rhetoric in the European Parliament

A broad coalition of civil society organisations sent a joint letter to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on 25 June 2026, calling for stronger action to address the increasing normalisation of discriminatory rhetoric within the European Parliament.

The letter follows the 17 June European Parliament plenary session in which a group of Members of the European Parliament chanted “send them back” after the adoption of the Return Regulation, which will accelerate the exclusion, mass detention, and deportation of asylum seekers and migrants to countries outside of Europe.

The signatories urge President Metsola to publicly condemn the incident and clarify what measures will be taken to ensure that Parliament’s standards of conduct are consistently upheld.

The coalition argues that the incident is not an isolated occurrence, but part of a broader deterioration of political discourse within the Parliament. Civil society organisations have raised growing concerns about the normalisation of rhetoric targeting migrants, LGBTI people, women, racialised communities and other minorities.

At a time of increasing political polarisation across Europe, the signatories argue that democratic institutions have a particular responsibility to uphold standards of respectful debate and protect the dignity and equal rights of all people. They warn that failing to respond consistently to discriminatory conduct risks further legitimising rhetoric that undermines democratic values and emboldens hostility towards communities already facing discrimination.

The letter has been endorsed by a growing coalition of more than 60 European and international civil society organisations working across human rights, democracy, transparency, migration, equality and reproductive rights, with additional organisations continuing to join the initiative.

Read the full letter to President Metsola by clicking here.

Letter signatories