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EUROPEAN UNION STAFF who have been expressing concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza have written to staff union reps detailing “pressure and intimidation” from management in response to their actions.
In a letter sent to the leaders of staff unions and committees, EU Staff for Peace — a group of current and former EU civil servants — detail concerns about a “toxic environment” that jeopardises the well-being of staff.
In one incident, the group takes issue with how staff-organised bake sales, for the Irish Red Cross’ Urgent Appeal for the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza, were reportedly labelled “ambient antisemitism” by an EU leader.
The group also said seven EU staff were evicted from a canteen in the Europa building in Brussels for wearing t-shirts that displayed the message “Say no to genocide”.
A staff member who filmed the incident reported that they were told to delete the video, while the group also allege they were told that they were “not allowed to protest”.
A spokesperson for the Council told The Journal that while staff were removed from the canteen, “everything happened calmly”.
The spokesperson said “EU staff members have the right to freedom of expression” but that the premises of the institutions are “not the place for activism”.
Speaking to The Journal, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said staff who had been speaking out about Gaza had told her privately of their concerns about a “culture of intimidation”.
She said that while the EU “likes to pride itself ” on championing freedom of expression, it was not living up to those ideals within its own walls.
EU Staff for Peace has been pushing for over a year for greater EU action in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza via letters to EU leaders and weekly protests in Brussels.
Dismayed at the lack of progress, other staff have also begun to organise separately and a recent letter to the leadership of the European Commission demanding that the EU takes action to stop the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza was signed by over 1,600 staff.
One of the organisers of the open letter, which was sent on 29 July and predicts an exponential rise in deaths in Gaza in the absence of increased aid, told The Journal that they have not yet received a response.
Earlier this week, the organisers wrote again to EU leadership, including Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law, Michael McGrath.
In the email, staff rejected the EU’s assertion that some staff have been involved in activism related to Gaza.
“We are not engaging in politics in a partisan sense — we are urging our leadership to act in defence of human rights, international law, and the EU’s founding values,” the staff said.
When contacted by The Journal, Commissioner McGrath did not wish to comment.
The Journal spoke to a number of civil servants employed by the EU institutions who have been involved in protests.
One employee from Ireland, who has worked in Brussels for over a decade, said he was completely disillusioned by the EU leadership’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“Their inaction serves to undermine the institutions,” the staffer said. “I’m disgusted at the stance the EU has taken.”
Asked if they share the view expressed by EU Staff for Peace in the letter to staff unions that there is a “toxic culture”, the staffer said: “Yes, without a doubt”.
“Everyone feels they can’t speak openly, that’s very much the prevailing atmosphere.
“The general attitude of the higher-ups is that anyone raising their voice is a troublemaker and that by speaking up, we are actually doing a disservice to the institutions.”
Since 2024, staff across the EU institutions have organised bake sales for the Palestine Red Crescent Society via the Irish Red Cross’ Urgent Appeal for the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza.
As of last month, at least 17 events have taken place, raising over €120,000, and have generally been supported by management, according to EU Staff for Peace.
However, last month, a leaked diplomatic cable published by EU Observer detailed comments made by Katharina von Schnurbein, the EU Commission’s coordinator on combating antisemitism, to a meeting with EU ambassadors in Tel Aviv on 29 May.
Von Schnurbein allegedly lobbied against EU sanctions on Israel and warned against new forms of antisemitism, which she described as “ambient antisemitism”. She allegedly described this as “creating an atmosphere in which Jews feel uncomfortable, even in European institutions” and noted the ‘bake sales for Gaza’ as an example.
Her comments were widely reported across other international news outlets at the time.
Von Schnurbein, who has worked for the EU in various roles for over twenty years, has frequently raised concerns about a spike in antisemitism since the 7 October Hamas attacks, and said last year that Europe was in a situation that “really reminds us of the darkest days”.
Following the publication of von Schnurbein’s comments in the EU Observer, a public letter was signed by 26 members of the European Parliament calling for her immediate dismissal.
The letter, signed by three Irish MEPs — Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews, and Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion — states that her actions “go far beyond the mandate” of her office and “undermine” the fight against actual antisemitism.
The MEPs did not receive a reply to the letter or to a parliamentary question with the same subject matter.
The Journal has contacted von Schurbein for comment.
When asked if von Schnurbein’s remarks represent the view of the European Commission, a spokesperson told The Journal that they have “no comment whatsoever on unverified leaks from a side meeting”.
The spokesperson said von Schnurbein took part in the conference in her official capacity in line with the EU strategy on combating antisemitism and added that the EU’s position on the situation in Gaza is well known.
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