Thirty intellectuals signed an open letter in support of liberal values, expressing concern about the may elections to the European Parliament

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Thirty intellectuals signed an open letter in support of liberal values, expressing concern about the may elections to the European Parliament and of the growing influence of right-wing and nationalist parties.

“Pro-European Manifesto”, as he calls DW, published by the French newspaper Libération and the British Guardian.

Among the signatories – the Nobel prize in literature Orhan Pamuk, Svetlana Aleksievich, Herta Muller, Elfriede Jelinek, Mario Vargas Llosa, writers Salman Rushdie, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Milan Kundera, Ian McEwan.

The Manifesto was written at the initiative of the French political journalist and philosopher Bernard-Henri levy. According to the authors, Europe is facing an unprecedented 30-ies of the last century challenge. The main threat to it comes from “drunk with the indignation of the prophets” – the populists, calling to restore the “national spirit” and “loss of identity”, the statement reads.

According to the signatories, Europe is vulnerable to “increasingly brazen intervention of the master of the Kremlin” and “is falling apart before our eyes” like the idea.

Without the “new spirit of resistance” elections to the European Parliament threatens to become “the greatest known catastrophe,” “victory destroyers”, “the explosion of xenophobia and anti-Semitism,” “big trouble,” reads the Manifesto.

The letter calls upon to defend a Europe that, despite “mistakes, blunders, and sometimes cowardice, remains a beacon” for all free men.

The Guardian notes that most observers predict a rise in support for populist, nationalist and anti-immigrant parties in the may elections to the European Parliament. Many of them have already achieved considerable success in national elections.

In late December, the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker expressed concerns about possible intervention in the European elections. He noted that Europe is not sufficiently prepared for this, and also mentioned “trolls” and hackers from Russia and China.

The Deputy head of the European Commission Andrus Ansip has called Russia the main source of misinformation during the elections and referendums in the European countries.