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Man calls Berlin subway “special train to Auschwitz”

Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus – RIAS in Berlin has produced a report of an incident from earlier in the year on the Berlin subway.

Apparently on the Morning of January 30th a man described a train that was arriving on the platform of the u-Bahn station Eberswalde road on the U2 line as a “special train to Auschwitz”.

Apparently several onlookers laughed loudly when he made the remark.

January 30th is the date in 1933 on which Hitler was invited by Hindenburg to form a government. For this reason, RIAS believes that this and other factors point towards the comment being linked to far-right activity, which has been increasing to a disturbing degree in Germany.

The incident has only just come to light. RIAS decided to report on it, despite it having happened seven months ago, as they feel it is important to continue to provide thorough documentation of antisemitic activity in Germany.

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French Jews pushed out of public schools by Antisemitism

Haaretz has reported that French Jews are being pushed out of the French schooling system by a culture of prevalent antisemtism.

One Jewish parent said that, despite having been educated in a French public school some years prior, the situation is now so bad that “anti-Semitic bullying means it would be too damaging for any Jewish kid you put there”.

Thirty years ago the majority of French Jews sent their children to public schools. The figure is now at only one third. In Paris, which has the largest population of Jews in France, almost all the children attend either private schools or Jewish schools.

French Jews have cited a “bad atmosphere of harassment, insults and assaults” for the change, as well as the growth of Jewish education that has gone along with increasing religious observance.

Whilst the incidents are usually ‘only’ instances of general bullying, some have involved serious intimidation, physical violence and death threats. Other incidents have included spraying a Jewish student with deodorant to ‘simulate’ a gas chamber, and a Jewish student being corned by classmates and being threatened with stabbing.

These incidents go alongside a steep increase in antisemitism in France generally, which has seen 20,000 French Jews leave for Israel in the past 4 years.

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Thirteen Jewish graves desecrated in Belfast

The Belfast Telegraph has reported that 13 Jewish graves have been desecrated in a cemetery in Belfast, Northern Island.

The cemetery stands as witness to over 150 years of Jewish history in the city, including the grave of the community’s founder Daniel Joseph Jaffe, who died in Nice but whose body was brought back to Belfast to be buried, as well as more recent graves of those who went to Northern Ireland to escape Nazi and Soviet persecution.

The attack was carried out by a “large crowd of youths” on Friday night. They apparently used hammers. They had also attempted to destroy the slabs of rocks on top of the graves, in an attempt to uncover the remains.

A local politician described the attack as “anti-community, anti-Belfast, anti-social and anti-Semitic”.

The police are treating the incident as a hate crime.

Any information can be supplied via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through the 101 non-emergency number, using reference 742 of 26th August

 

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Corbynites abuse NEC member with references to the Holocaust

Johanna Baxter, a Labour National Executive Committee member and Trade Union official, has been bombarded with abuse in Twitter for her role in deciding who can and cannot vote in the upcoming Leadership election.

The NEC has recently voted to exclude certain “entryists”, people who are joining as affiliated supporters in order to vote in the leadership election, from voting. Such voters disproportionately tipped the previous election in Corbyn’s favour.

Baxter was tweeted ‘”putting members first” eh? first in the gas chambers ?’

Another reply suggested that Labour members felt “like the Jews did in Nazi Germany”. Such a comparison is vastly irresponsible and downplays the extermination of six million European Jews who were murdered for nothing other than being Jewish; on the other hand, people are well within their rights to question the rise of antisemitism and intimidation within a political party without being subject to such hyperbole.

Another replied “your electoral rigging is particularly offensive to Palestinians because they know why”.

She also drew comparisons to Stalin’s purges.

Baxter had previously spoken of being pressured and harassed to support Corbyn’s automatic inclusion on the leadership ballot.

 

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Polish football fans burn “Jewish” effigy, call for burning Jews

Around 50 fans of Widzew Łódź, a Polish association football team, demonstrated shocking antisemitism before a game on Friday.

The supporters had gathered at a train station prior to a clash with local rivals ŁKS Łódź, a team which is often derisively referred to as having large amounts of Jewish support by rival clubs, in a manner much similar to how Tottenham Hotspur are discussed in the British Premier League.

The Widzew fans burned effigies which appeared to depict caricatures of Orthodox Jews, as well as revealing a banner with the text “1908, today the Jews were named. Let them burn, motherfuckers”, referring to the founding date of the rival club.

Some of the fans also appear to be performing Nazi salutes.

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Edinburgh Shalom festival attendees met with Nazi salutes from Palestinian protestors

Attendees at the Shalom Festival, which took part over the course of the Edinburgh Festival, were met with taunts and Nazi salutes, the Jewish Chronicle has reported.

The festival was a full day celebration of Israel, which featured Jewish, Arab and other performers and, as the name suggests, was staged in the spirit of peace and co-operation. It attracted around 800 visitors.

A crowd of 150 protesters stood outside the event, shouting things such as “racist scum” and “shame on you”.

According to the JC, most of the crowd were members of Scottish Palestine Solidarity campaign. They also shouted “your tickets are covered in Palestinian blood” and “boycott and isolate Israel”. The definition of antisemitism states that it is antisemitic to  use “the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis”. Describing the tickets to a peace event, which features Jewish and Arab performers, as “covered in Palestinian blood” borders on blood libel, as it twists even actions taken in the spirit of peace and co-operation as evidence of Jewish, or in this case Israeli, brutality

Apparently at one point the protesters crossed the line into unambiguous antisemitism, taunting the visitors with Nazi salutes.

According to Nigel Goodrich, one of the event’s organisers, many mothers complained that their children had been called racist.

Attendee Susie Kelpie said that such a response was commonplace: “it’s vile, intimidating and quite normal for any Israeli-flavoured event in this city.”

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Sadiq Khan target of antisemitic abuse for attacking Corbyn

Sadiq Khan, the recently-elected Labour Mayor of London who enjoys one of the largest mandates in British political history, has been the target of antisemitic comments after he backed Owen Smith against Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour Party’s leadership race.

Khan has been a critic of how Corbyn handled the EU referendum, and has expressed his concerns about antisemitism within Labour under Corbyn, describing the increase in antisemitism as “deeply distressing and upsetting”.

After Khan’s rejection of Corbyn, several people responded on social media, with one Corbynite tweeting a picture of Sadiq Khan wearing a Kippah and eating matzah at a Pesach event with Jewish communal leaders. The man tweeted “who owns you @sadiqkhan?”

Another suggested that he wanted to “help his masters in Tel Aviv”. Such a comment implies an antisemitic belief in a Jewish conspiracy controlling world politics to some degree.

Sadiq Khan has often been proactive in working alongside and listening to the Jewish community which he now serves. His first act as Mayor of London was to attend a Holocaust memorial event. As a part of his campaign he pledged to help protect Jewish Londoners from Islamic extremism.

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Antisemitic abuse on Passau University campus, Germany

RIAS Nationwide Incident report: from Passau, Lower Bavaria, (south eastern Germany), 8th June 2016.

Two students were subject to antisemitic verbal abuse on Passau University campus.

On 8th June, at approximately 6pm, the two students were verbally abused by three men calling them “Dirty Jews”. Neither of the students was wearing any obvious ‘Jewish’ or ‘Israeli’ symbols, but the three men said that their targets looked like “typical Jews”.

The three men sat, with bare torsos, on a bench and were most likely inebriated. The reporter noted the three men singing an antisemitic song.

From their various and visible tattoos, it could be deduced that the men were associated with the extreme Right.

The antisemitic remarks were widely heard, but there was no immediate reaction from the other campus residents.

With thanks to RIAS – Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus. The Foundation for Research and Information (office) on Antisemitism.

Writer comment: Unfortunately, many people can be subject to unwanted approaches and remarks from drunken people on a night out or at other times in our daily lives. Even good-humoured interactions can feel intimidating. We are most often able to shrug it off, move along and forget about it. Indeed, it is often safer not to react, especially if you feel threatened.

However, targeted, habitual and dogged insults during one’s daily life, (in this case two students wandering on their campus), can eventually chip away at a person’s confidence and lead to them feeling unsafe. This is especially so, if you are in a space which is familiar to you, a place of work, a place which is essentially your home.

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Labour supporter: Antisemitism scandal is “Fake, Jewish, Hasbara Plot”

Yemmi Agbebi is a Labour member who has expressed support for Corbyn and senior Vodafone employee.  His social media suggests that he hold worrying views about both antisemitism in the Labour Party and Israeli Jews.

On 6th May 2016, Agbebi tweeted:  “Despite “FAKE JEWISH HASBARA” anti-Semitism PLOT, Muslim Labour candidate poised to win #London mayoral election

Two days previously, Agbebi tweeted that “Antisemitism is a get out of jail card for Zionists”.

Agbebi has described Israel as a “disgusting nation of self-righteous neo-Nazis” on both 1911th May and 4th May and as a coral of the most disgusting Species on Earth

A previous tweet on 13th April 2016, suggests that he believes that Israeli Jews cause the world’s moral evils, pogroms and apartheid.

On 10th April 2016, he tweeted that most American Jews “usually do the bidding of Meshiac Netanyahu“.

Agbebi is a senior Vodafone employee, working as Programme Director and Global Head of PPMO. Vodafone has a strong presence in Israel.

 

Screen Shot 2016-05-30 at 15.04.57

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Jewish family subjected to tirade of antisemitic abuse in East London

A Jewish family have suffered what Shomrim has described as “a tirade of antisemitic abuse” in East London.

The family were on a trip in East London when a man, who had two children with him, subjected them to the abuse.

Among other things, the man shouted “F*cking Jews, go back to Israhell, don’t come around here, go to Stamford Hill, you’re not welcome”.

The man’s tone is extremely threatening and aggressive, as evidenced by a video of the incident which Shomrim posted on their twitter.

 

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Antisemitic graffiti on a Jewish shop window in France

Reminiscent of the  Nazi era when Jewish businesses were targeted for abuse and boycotts, and antisemitic writings were stuck on shop fronts, a post by Philo on  ‘The New Antisemite’ blog dated 22nd August 2016, shows a photograph of graffiti on a shop window in France which states ‘ commerde sale juif’. “Commerde” should read “commerce”, but works the French word “merde” in, which translates as ‘shit’. Translating the French text into English Philo writes: ” this could be interpreted as ‘ this shit shop belongs to a dirty Jew'”.

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Antisemitic Holocaust placard on Berlin street.

RIAS Incident report: Berlin-Friedrichshain, 23rd July 2016.

A Holocaust revisionist placard was mounted on a busy street corner in Friedrichshain, Berlin.

On 23rd July, a placard attached to a lamppost with text which translate literally as “though we’re all sitting in the same gas chamber, it’s you sitting on the tap from within the red engine”, was recorded on the corner Boxhagener and Warschauer streets.

The text implies that Jews are in control of the “tap” of metaphorical gas that allegedly afflicts everyone. Not only does it thus suggest a conspiracy theory in which Jews are said to be in control of world affairs, but it also cheapens the memory of the Holocaust by creating a false equivalence between the conditions of the victims of the Holocaust and whatever social ills may affect people today, and then using this false equivalence for inflammatory and rhetorical purposes.

The style and content of the writing suggests that the originator is from within the vicinity of the street intersection. Such references to, or comparisons with, the Holocaust have a direct consequence in the lowering the societal threshold for openly antisemitic and revisionist statements.

For Holocaust survivors, their families and those affected by antisemitism, there is an inevitable reawakening of memories associated with the systematic mass extermination of European Jews under the National Socialist movement. We wholeheartedly welcome the swift removal of the placard shortly after it was discovered.

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Synagogue, Jewish cemetery desecrated in Ukraine

Kolomyia Synagogue in Western Ukraine was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on Thursday night.

The entrance to the Synagogue was sprayed with a swastika and “antisemitic slogans”.

Jacob Zlishiker, an official of the Jewish community, said that such incidents are routine in the area. However, the police are taking the matter very seriously.

A Jewish cemetery was also vandalized on the same evening.

Before the Holocaust there were 50 Synagogues in the City. This appears to be the only one still active, having been founded by a small number of Jews who returned to the city after its liberation from the Nazis.

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Jews were “to blame” for the Holocaust, says video shared by Czech MP

An MP in the Czech Republic, Stanislav Huml, has shared a Holocaust denial on his Facebook page.

Huml describes the video as “brutal and [politically] incorrect” but “inspiring”, and says that it runs contrary to the supposed “ethnomasochism” of Western nations, which he sees as overburdened with guilt.

The video describes the Holocaust as “alleged” and call on Europe to “stop apologizing” for the Holocaust.

Shockingly, the video says that the Jews were “to blame” for the Holocaust.

The video appears to suggest that Elie Wiesel was never help in a concentration camp.

The YouTube Channel from which Huml shared the video also has videos that promote what it sees as the “healthy lifestyle” of the Third Reich.

When confronted about the post, Huml says that he “does not concern himself with those details” and that “the video has an actual basis in history extending back to the 15th century”.

 

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Jewish businessman called “Jew boy” by neighbour, told to leave the country

A retired 71-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to religiously or racially aggravated harassment after subjecting her Jewish neighbour to a campaign of abuse.

Susan Dean subjected her neighbour Allan Rich to antisemitic abuse which stemmed from a dispute over their adjoining beach huts. The huts come with the seafront properties, but Mrs Dean was initially upset as she felt that Mr Rich and his friends “encroached” and prevented her from enjoying her hut.

Mr Rich is the chairman of the management committee for the block of luxury flats, and was the CEO of a successful company.

Mrs Dean left Mr Rich an anonymous note in which she called him “Jew boy”, a common term of antisemitic abuse.

Three days later, she told Mr Rich in another note that he should leave the country.

She also said that she could not attend a communal barbecue as she “was not Jewish”, which appears to be her suggesting that Jews make non-Jews feel unwelcome and are only concerned with other Jews, a common antisemitic canard.

Mr Rich and his wife were apparently so upset by the antisemitic abuse that they were reduced to tears and were fearful of using their own balcony as Mrs Dean may have been using hers.

The prosecutor said “These aren’t off the cuff handwritten notes, they are typed up notes that were then placed in strategic places and they clearly caused the aggrieved a lot of distress”.

In his appeal to a magistrate asking for a restraining order, Mr Rich stated:

“[Susan Dean’s] religious hate is causing me and my family great sadness.”

“I have never had to deal with such a horrible situation in my whole life. I can no longer go out on my balcony because she will shout abuse and we can no longer walk around the side of our flat because if she is there she will shout at us, so we have to walk our dog on a different route.”

“When we received the first note my wife and I could not sleep that night. We were both led to tears.

I’m not sure why anyone would want to do it or how they could be so vile. I’m not even sure how she knew my religion.

I do not want to be abused at my own home, my wife doesn’t feel safe coming down with other family members and I do not feel safe for my wife to be their alone.

This caused us to cut our stay in Sandbanks short, but she has also been sending abusive letters to our other address.

I’m worried she may react one day and do something out of the ordinary, that she could be stood at my door with a knife, because I do not know how much she hates me and my religion or how far she may go to satisfy her hate”.

Mrs Dean was fined and was given a restraining order, prohibiting her from having any contact with Mr Dean or his family.

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Official at Islamic University calls for “final solution”

A senior administrator at the Islamic University in Lecce, Italy, has called for a “final solution”

On his Facebook page, Raphael Villani wrote “there needs to be a final solution for Zionists” and that “the real Jews are the victims of Zionists”.

The Israeli Embassy in Italy discovered the comments, which have since been removed.

Calling for a final solution, the language used by the Nazis to describe the systematic extermination of the European Jewry, is clearly antisemitic, and is also a possibly a case of incitement. His assertion that Zionists are not “real Jews” contradicts many surveys and polls which show that large proportions of religious Jews identify as Zionists. It is thus a tool used to strip Jews who disagree with his position of their voice and their identities, attempting to portray the minority of Jews who agree with his position as “real” Jews, and the rest as not.

Given that in America, as an example, 90% of Orthodox Jews, 88% of Conservative Jews, and 70% of Reform Jews count themselves as Zionists, calling for a “final solution for Zionists” is nothing short of advocating genocide.

 

 

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Prominent Polish priest’s antisemitic rant

A Polish Priest who has been linked to far right groups and football hooligans has made an antisemitic rant in Poland.

Jacek Miedlar reportedly told his congregation during a Mass:

“Passive Jewish mob will try to throw you on your knees, then crawling, will try to grind faces of you, Jews want to swallow you, to digest you – for only reason – to spit you out because of your further uselessness.”

An MP, Joanna Scheuring, informed the local Prosecutor’s office of the alleged hate speech, but she was threatened on Twitter by Miedlar, who said  “in the days of the past for such persons as the MP only the razor was left for use.”

No Polish Bishops were available for comments on Miedlar’s rant.

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Hasidic Rabbi stabbed in Strasbourg by attacker shouting “Allahu Ackbar”

A Hasidic Rabbi was stabbed this afternoon in Strabourg, by an attacker shouting “Allahu Ackbar”.

Rabbi Chalom Levy, who is described as belonging to a Hasidic sect, was stabbed in the Jewish quarter of the city, 500 metres from the Great Synagogue.

Rabbi Mendel Samama, another Rabbi in Strasbourg, said that Rabbi Levy described his survival as a “miracle”.

“He was shocked. He is weak. He was hit in the abdominal region a few centimetres from a vital organ”, said Rabbi Samama.

The Grand Rabbi of Strasbourg, Rabbi René Gutman, has said that this is the work of one lone attacker, and is not reflective of a wider problem in the city, but has requested additional security.

Strasbourg has a Jewish community numbering around 15,000.

The attacker has reportedly been involved in a similar attack previously.

France has been described as one of the most dangerous countries to be a Jew and over half of French Jews wish to leave the country for Israel.

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Holocaust deportation memorial vandalized in Berlin

 

Written by Isca Stieglitz

The Ellen Epstein Street commemorative sign, which marks Moabit Station, from where Berlin’s Jews were deported to their extermination, was vandalised again. The sign, from the “They Were Neighbours” Initiative, was sprayed with silver paint, sometime during Wednesday-Thursday night.

The memorial reads “from here drove trains to the gas”. The vandal writes “this isn’t true” in spray paint, crossing out the word “gas”. Denying the use of gas in the Holocaust amounts to Holocaust denial, as it denies the main method used by the Nazis to exterminate their victims. Indeed, it denies the industrialised method of slaughter that made the scale of the extermination of Europe’s Jews possible in the first place.

This occurred only three weeks after the sign had been cleaned from a previous incident on 28 July, when the sign was doused with black paint.

We were alerted to this incident by Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus – RIAS.

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Holocaust denial ‘artist’ planning Edinburgh Fringe Festival performances

Alison Chabloz, a self-styled singer-songwriter who was exposed by Campaign Against Antisemitism last year, has been attempting to find venues to perform in during the Edinburgh Festival. She was reported to have performed a quenelle, a neo-Nazi gesture targeted exclusively at Jews, and for antisemitic content she had performed which denied the Holocaust.

In an article on her blog, Chabloz announced that she had approached several venues with a view to performing her Holocaust denial show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Her show, named “Tell Me More Lies”, claims to express “frustrations caused by smear campaigns waged against ‘Holocaust’ revisionists”, described by Chabloz to be “groundbreaking musical comedy interspersed with socio-political satire”.

However, much of Chabloz’s material simply mocks or outright denies the Holocaust. In one of her songs she describes Elie Wiesel’s books as “full of nonsense tales”, says of Irene Zissblat “I cannot speak Hungarian but oh boy can I lie”, and mocks Anne Frank. She employs antisemitic tropes singing “Bank notes, let’s print some more. We love to see you poor. Let’s start a war”, which play on baseless accusations that have been used to victimise Jews.  In another she sings “the Holohoax is plain to see” and claims there are attempts to “privilege one race” by stifling “freedom of speech” regarding the Holocaust. In such examples she seeks to persuade the public that the Holocaust was not a genocide perpetrated against Jews, but rather that it is a hoax perpetrated by greedy, conniving Jews against mankind. She preaches to all who will listen to her that the Holocaust was fabricated, that Jews were not massacred in their millions, and that it is in fact a ploy used by Jewish people to earn money.

She also sings “the shekel is his God”, referencing an antisemitic canard that Jews are preoccupied with money, and describes Auschwitz as a “holy temple” and “a theme park just for fools”.

She has tweeted a Rabbi asking him “when are Jews going to apologize for the ritual murder of Christian children?” Such statements are considered ‘blood libel’, erroneous and malicious accusation that Jews murder Christian children to bake matzo, which has been a common theme in the persecution of Jews in Europe.

https://twitter.com/AJCTmusic/status/677523316018716672

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival maintains an open-door policy and refuses to ban this brazen, Holocaust-denying antisemite from appearing.

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Families angered over “fun tourist destination” Auschwitz bus

Families of Holocaust survivors and Jewish groups have been angered after an image emerged of a tourist bus which presented the death camp as a “fun tourist destination”.

The coach has the printed words “Come to Auschwitz – A journey through emotions.”

The coach was made for a film made by Vit Klusak which satirises how commercialised visits to Auschwitz have become, but has apparently been sold to a real tour operator.

Erika Bezdickova, who lost her whole family in Auschwitz when she was 13, said “I was absolutely appalled when I spotted the bus offering the tours to Auschwitz…not as an event for the people who are interested in the history, but as entertainment”

Leo Pavlat, director of the Jewish Museum of Prague, says that “it advertises a trip to the former death camp as Auschwitz-style adventure tourism”.

Svatopluk Strava Auto Xaver, the Czech owner of the bus, has refused to repaint the bus, saying he cannot afford to have it newly painted.

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Daily Mail calls Temple Mount “Islamic Holy Site”, smears Jewish worshippers

Agence France Press has produced an article on an incident at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which was published by the Daily Mail with the headline “Jordan slams Israel after radical Jews visit Islamic Holy Site”.

The Temple Mount is a sacred site for Jews, Christians and Muslims, but it is the holiest site in the world for Jews, and at the centre of much Jewish liturgy. Whilst it is the third holiest site in Islam, to describe it as an “Islamic Holy Site” which has somehow been intruded upon by Jews is to erase Jewish connections to the Temple Mount.

Moreover, to call Jews who wish to visit the Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples, “radical Jews” is simply untrue.

Whilst the Daily Mail does acknowledge later in the article that the Temple Mount is Judaism’s holiest site, it does not challenge the idea that Jews who wish to visit it are “extremists”

Jordan’s Minister of Islamic Affairs and Awqaf (religious property) Wael Arabiyat described allowing Jews to visit their holiest site as “tyranny” and ominously said that it could provoke a religious war.

The current ‘status quo’ arrangement is that only Muslims are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount. Jews who pray or show signs of being emotional on the Temple Mount are often arrested by Jordanian religious police.

UK Media Watch has challenged the Daily Mail over the headline, which remains as of yet unchanged.

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Austrian man jailed after circulating Nazi propaganda, uploading image of “Heil Hitler” cat

An Austrian man has been jailed for 18 months after posting various images online which were deemed to constitute “far-right propaganda”. He was charged under Austria’s 1947 anti-Nazi Prohibition Act, which bans material deemed to be attempting to glorify Nazism.

The 38-year-old from Salzburg was found guilty of uploading over 20 images deemed neo-Nazi propaganda onto the internet. One of the images was a cat allegedly performing a Nazi salute.

Police also found clothes with Nazi symbols in the man’s house.

 

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Corbyn supporters suggest Jewish judge’s decision can’t be trusted

Supporters of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have taken to twitter to condemn Lord Justice Jack Beatson after the judge ruled in the Court of Appeal that the National Executive Committee has the right to block new members from voting in the leadership election.

The decision affects approximately 130,000 new Labour members, most of whom are expected to support Corbyn’s leadership.

Twitter users suggested that Lord Justice Beatson’s decision was due to the fact that he was “born in Israel”, a “Zionist” and referred to him as a “Zio”, an abusive term often used against Jewish students.

Another tweet referred to “cuckoos in the nest Israel lobby”.

One user noted that Lord Justice Beatson “went to a Jewish boarding school”.

Another user noted that he was “was born in Haifa- Israeli occupied Palestine” (Haifa is within Israel’s original borders), and later went on to tweet that the ruling was “more evidence legal system is Zionist and of the lengths they will go to to stifle an opponent”. Suggesting that the legal system “is Zionist” is clearly antisemitic, playing upon the canard of Jewish domination of law, politics and business.

 

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Belgian school “proud” of Iran Holocaust cartoon competition teacher

A Catholic high school in Belgium has  allegedly said it is “proud” of an outgoing teacher who received a cash prize at the Iranian Holocaust Cartoon competition.

Luc Descheemaeker, who has just retired from the Sint-Jozefs Institute high school, was awarded and accepted a “special prize” at the Second International Cartoon Contest. His submission included the words “Arbeit Macht Frei”, which were originally cast above the entrance to Auschwitz, over a wall with barbed wire, meant to resemble the Israeli West Bank Barrier and drawing a comparison between Israeli policy and the Holocaust. Such a comparison is considered antisemitic under the EUMC working definition of antisemitism.

UNESCO has condemned the competition as an attempt at “at a mockery of the genocide of the Jewish people, a tragic page of humanity’s history”.

In a (presumably sarcastic) letter from a Belgian-Jewish organisation which asked whether the school was “proud” of their teacher’s participation in such an event, a faculty member replied “We are indeed very proud to have Luc associated with our school. His talent is of great value for the artistic education of our students!”

When the school was asked more directly about the award, school director Paul Vanthournout said that the “consideration of it as anti-Semitic is exaggerated”, this despite the fact that the cartoon clearly falls foul of the EUMC definition of antisemitism. He also worryingly mentioned that Descheemaeker had been in charge of some Holocaust education in the school.

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Man sends 17 antisemitic letters to BBC in two weeks

A pensioner has been found guilty of having broken his restraining order after he sent multiple antisemitic letters to the BBC.

James Evans, 69, sent the seventeen letters, which referred to “yids”, and “Zionists” and claimed that “Jewish people rule the world”, over a two week period in May.

He also frequently referenced George Soros, a common theme in antisemitic conspiracy theories.

He has apparently sent around 70 letters prior to this spree, leading to a restraining order.

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Man shouts “Jews, gas them all” and “Sieg Heil” as he is sentenced

A judge was caught up in a colourful verbal exchange with a defendant during sentencing.

John Hennigan, 50, told Judge Patricia Lynch QC that she was a “bit of a c*nt”. Judge Lynch, angered by the comments from the man who has repeatedly been involved in racist offences, told him: “You are a bit of a c*** yourself. Being offensive to me doesn’t help”.

Mr Hennigan was jailed for 18 months for insulting a black mother.

However, as he was sentenced he repeatedly banged on the glass, performed Nazi salutes and shouted “Sieg Heil”.

He also sang “Jews, gas them all” several times before being removed.

Mr Hennigan has previously been involved in many racist incidents. He was sentenced for having told a black woman that doesn’t “agree with inter-racial relationships”. This marked the ninth time he breached an ASBO designed to warn him away from racist actions.

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Edinburgh student calls Zionists “sub human”, says they should be subjected to the “worst torture”

A student at the University of Edinburgh and NUS delegate has allegedly posted horrific antisemitic incitement on his Facebook account.

The student described an Israeli footballer, Nir Bitton who plays for Celtic, as “a filthy Zionist rat”. Describing Jews in animalistic terms, particularly describing them as vermin, is a recurring antisemitic trope, and replacing the word ‘Jew’ with the word ‘Zionist’ does not make it any less antisemitic.

He also writes that “Zionists are sub human” and believes that Nir Bitton should in “a jail cell for supporting the apartheid regime”. The use of the term subhuman unambiguously and directly draws upon the terminology used by the Nazis to describe their victims, particularly Jews.

Another commenter replies “gas him”, to which the student replies that it would be “too good for him”, instead suggesting that he should be exposed “to the worst torture” – a direct act of incitement of violence towards a man whose only ‘crime’ is to have been born a Jew in Israel.

The incident has been reported to the police and is being investigated as a hate crime.

The Union of Jewish Students commented:

“We are aware of the offensive and hate-filled social media posts made by a student at the University of Edinburgh. There is no place for such reprehensible comments in society.

The matter is being dealt with by EUSA and the Police Hate Crimes Unit.

As always, any concerned students of the University of Edinburgh should feel free to be in touch with UJS.”

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Christopher Biggins apologises for Holocaust ‘joke’

Christopher Biggins has made an apology after having been removed from Celebrity Big Brother following a Holocaust ‘joke’ he made to a fellow housemate.

The 67-year-old actor told Katie Waissel, who is Jewish, “you better be careful or they’ll be putting you in a shower and taking you to a room”.

Channel 5 decided the comment was likely to cause “widespread offence” and removed Biggins from the Big Brother House.

Biggins’ apology was “tearful”. He said “I am mortified by what’s happened, really mortified. Most of my friends, in fact, are Jewish. I apologised to Big Brother and Katie”. Whilst his comments were not necessarily malicious, and may well have been a case of poor judgement, it is incredibly damaging for Jewish people to have the systematic extermination of 6 million Jews be treated as an appropriate topic for humour, especially when it is directed towards them.

Biggins, who is gay, has also attracted controversy having made comments deemed to be offensive to bisexuals. He said in a conversation that Bisexuals are the “worst type” and implied that they were just in denial about being homosexual, as well as linking them to the spread of HIV/AIDS

Biggins will be visiting Auschwitz in the near future, a trip that will hopefully give him some perspective on his comments. He claims to have been planning the trip since before the incident occurred,

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Greater Manchester Police apologises for tweeting pictures of “likely lads” in full Nazi uniform

Greater Manchester Police has apologised after tweeting pictures of two men, described as the “likely lads”, wearing full SS Uniform.

Shulem Stern, a supervisor with Shomrim, alerted us to the tweet, as well as tweeting the Greater Manchester Police twitter, who removed the tweet as a result.

The tweet jokingly suggested that the two men were attempting to “invade” from Yorkshire.

The sight of the local police jokingly referring to the SS, an organisation that was involved in the rounding up of Jews, enforcing racial policy and the running of concentration camps, is potentially very worrying to Manchester’s large Jewish community.

This is not the first time that Greater Manchester Police has suffered a lapse in judgement regarding the issue of antisemitism. In March, we reported that an officer in the force was allowed to keep his job after posting an antisemitic image on Facebook

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Former Corbyn adviser claims that staffer referred to “Jewish conspiracy”, faced “inquisition” into Jewish background

Josh Simons, a former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn, has further fueled the Labour Party’s antisemitism row by making further claims of antisemitism to the Sunday Times

Mr Simons claims that Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s director of strategy, subjected him to a “rant” about Israel, as well as an “inquisition” into Simons’ Jewish background and views about Israel. The EUMC definition of antisemitism states that it is antisemitic to hold Jews “collectively responsible for the actions of the State of Israel”.

Milne has previously justified Hamas terrorism by saying “it isn’t terrorism to fight back”.

Mr Simons also claims that Mr Corbyn prepared for his meeting with the Board of Deputies of British Jews with “flippant disdain”.

He claims that another member of Mr Corbyn’s team referred to a “Jewish conspiracy”.

Mr Simons adds that Corbyn’s staff have “at least a blind spot with anti-semitism and at worst a willful disregard for it”.

A friend of Mr Simons adds that he was “bitterly disappointed” that evidence he gave to the Chakrabati was not included in her report.

A Corbyn spokesman has dismissed Mr Simons as a “disgruntled former member of staff”.

The Guardian has also revealed that Mr Corbyn’s campaign allegedly took a £10,000 donation from Friends of Al-Aqsa, an organisation whose founder has expressed support for the proscribed terrorist group Hamas. The revelation has prompted condemnation both from within the Labour party and from counter-terrorism watchdogs.

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Education Everyday Antisemitism Germany Location Medium

Whistleblower: German University teaching antisemitic content

Dr. Rebecca Seidler was asked to teach on a course at HAWK University in Germany on the “situation of young people in Palestine”. However, she went to the press after finding many of the course materials to be antisemitic.

She claimed that the materials were solely concerned with portraying Israel negatively, as opposed to trying to help the students develop a better understanding of the social issues.

Shockingly, she claims that the course materials contained allegations that Israel harvested the organs of Palestinians, a claim that has been described by the ADL as blood libel. There were also articles that had been taken from conspiracy theory blogs, and very few of the materials seemed to come from academic sources

Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for the Israel’s Foreign Ministry, described the course as a “hatred factory”.

The University has denied antisemitism, but Dr. Seidler believes that her concerns have not been taken seriously, as she was dismissed as being “oversensitive” when she complained to the University.

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Kiev renames street to honour Nazi collaborator

Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, has renamed a busy street after a Nazi collaborator.

What was formerly known as Moscow Avenue, a busy market street, will now be named after Stepan Bandara, who told Ukranians to “destroy” Jews.

A document published by Bandara’s faction stated that  “Jews must be isolated, removed from governmental positions in order to prevent sabotage, those who are deemed necessary may only work with an overseer… Jewish assimilation is not possible”.

Bandara was eventually deported to a concentration camp by the Nazis for declaring an independent Ukraine, but was released again in 1944. During those years his group engaged in ethnic cleansing, but his supporters claim that he sided with the Nazis solely because he thought it would lead to an independent Ukraine in the future.

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German children attending “Nazi youth camps” in Sweden

The Express has revealed footage purporting to show German children attending a summer camp run by far-right groups in Sweden.

The footage shows children in the woods dressed in uniforms with Sturmvogel logo. Sturmvogel is a far-right group founded in 1987 and apparently has links to Nazism and Holocaust denial. They also have links to the banned groups Wiking-Jugend and Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend.

The camps are structured in a quasi-militaristic manner, with children expected to stand in silence and salute the flag until they are dismissed.

The group holds its camps in Sweden to avoid German counter-extremism laws.

Andrea Ropke, a German expert on the far right, notes that the children are sent to the camps by their parents: “Nationalist youth education is very important to them and the camps are an important part of the business”.

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Everyday Antisemitism Location Medium Romania Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Romanian monument to IDF defaced with swastikas

Antisemitic slurs were used to deface a monument to members of an Israeli Air Force helicopter that crashed in 2010 killing six Israeli Air Force members and a Romanian soldier.  The vandals covered the monument with typical antisemitic imagery, including swastikas and a drawing of a pig.  The vandals did reveal some minimal linguistic abilities as they were able to spray the Hebrew words for “you’re pigs,” transliterated into Romanian characters!

Tamar Samash, the Israeli ambassador to Romania, via the Israeli police attache in Bucharest, alerted the police who had not heard of the incident, possibly due to the location of the monument in Brasov, a secluded area outside Bucharest.

The memorial commemorates the six soldiers whose helicopter crashed in 2010 during a joint exercise between Israeli and Romanian armed forces.

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Education Location Medium Politics South East of England United Kingdom Verbal Abuse

Leaked report into Oxford University Labour Club antisemitism seems designed to be unremarkable

The Labour Party’s inquiry into allegations of antisemitism in the Oxford University Labour Club has today been leaked. Carried out by Baroness Jan Royall, the report was commissioned after Alex Chalmers, Co-Chair of the club, resigned in February 2016 stating rampant levels of antisemitism as his reason for doing so. The incident brought antisemitism in the Labour Party into the public spotlight, and Campaign Against Antisemitism met Baroness Royall to assist her inquiry.

The full version of Baroness Royall’s report was originally kept secret, with only the executive summary being published in May. It was then expected to be published in full alongside the wider-ranging Chakrabarti Inquiry report into antisemitism in the Labour Party last month, but instead Baroness Royall was brought into the Chakrabarti Inquiry as a Co-Vice Chair, perhaps as a means of keeping her quiet. Baroness Royall’s report remained unpublished and the report issued by the Chakrabarti Inquiry was a total whitewash. The JC has now published a leaked copy of Baroness Royall’s full report.

Baroness Royall finds “no evidence that the Club is itself institutionally antisemitic” but notes a “cultural problem in which behaviour and language that would once have been intolerable is now tolerated. Some Jewish members do not feel comfortable attending the meetings, let alone participating.”

Looking at the wider issue of antisemitism, she also explains that “a pervading discourse now is that Jews are neither weak, nor poor, neither workers, nor have-nots. In short, Jews cannot be victims and cannot be discriminated against.” She goes on to say that “being anti-Zionist…is often used deliberately as a tool of antisemitism”.

Baroness Royall further notes “an environment in which Jews cannot debate, or feel safe to do so, unless their every remark is prefaced by a criticism of the Israeli government”. While she explains that a clear definition of what is antisemitic “can provide useful tools for helping consider what may, or may not, constitute antisemitic discourse” and urges the Chakrabarti Inquiry “to consider this carefully”, the Chakrabarti enquiry conspicuously avoided defining antisemitism.

The full text of Baroness Royall’s report does not change Campaign Against Antisemitism’s opinion following the publication of the partial report. The full report tells us nothing new, except that Baroness Royall thinks that Alex Chalmers was wrong when he resigned as Co-Chair of Oxford University Labour Club over rampant institutional antisemitism.

The leaking of Baroness Royall’s report has revealed that it too fails to identify individuals who are guilty of antisemitism within the Labour Party. It now seems that this reluctance to name those responsible may be a reflection of Labour’s inner conflicts.

The Young Labour conference at Scarborough followed shortly after Young Labour’s own suppressed investigation. It became clear at that Scarborough conference that some of the individuals alleged to be guilty of antisemitism at Oxford are the same young politicians with important roles in Momentum, the movement that help engineer the election of Jeremy Corbyn.

The fact that they are under suspicion lends greater urgency to the task of providing transparency on this issue, which the Labour party refuses to do.

Yet again, it seems that the needs for political expediency outranks the desire of the Labour Party’s leadership to confront the antisemitism in its ranks.

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Transportation Verbal Abuse

Woman abused on Berlin train for wearing Hebrew necklace

On July 19th a woman was subjected to antisemitic taunts on a Berlin train for wearing a Hebrew necklace of her name.

According to Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus, a man of Arabic origin initially the woman. Another passenger came and pointed out that her necklace was Hebrew and they proceeded to subject her to antisemitic taunts, calling her a “Jewish bitch”.

When the victim moved away, the man went on to direct his vitriol towards a same-sex couple.

This incident fits into a recent pattern of antisemitic harassment and attacks we have reported on in Berlin’s public transport and roads, as well as antisemitic vandalism and graffiti. In fact, in a personal interview, the victim reported that since August 2015 in the context of the debate over the influx and accommodation of immigrants, hostilities towards Jews has increased.

Translation of the report provided by Isca Stieglitz

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Young Man Wearing Kippah Suffers Antisemitic Insults and Assault in Berlin

On Tuesday 21st June a young man wearing a Kippah was attending the “Fête de la Musique” festival in Berlin when he was attacked. The aggression started when three young men shouted antisemitic insult at him then started to get physical and beat and kick him. After the attack, the perpetrators were able to escape. The young man did not need to receive medical treatment however, the police have opened an investigation.

 

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Swedish Politician Denies Systematic Murder of Jews at Auschwitz

At a council meeting in Alvesta, Sweden in March, Swedish Democrat, Lennart Johansson, stated that it was not Jews, but patriotic heroes of Poland who died in Auschwitz. “They died because they would defend Poland from foreign fascist invaders…I have read in Polish encyclopedias that it was so.” Johansson cited himself as a credible and knowledgable source due to the time he spent living in Poland. 

Another Swedish politician, Thomas Hedevik, of the Social Democratic party, called Johansson out for being a historical revisionist. In regard to Johansson’s attempt to undermine the tragedy of the Jews in Auschwitz and focus on ‘national Polish heroes,’ Hedevik says, “It proves that the Swedish Democrats are a purely Nazi and undemocratic party. It must be handled as such.”

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London Posters

North London playground targeted with swastikas for three days in a row

Every day for the last three days, a playground in Stamford Hill, which has a large Jewish population, has been targeted with swastikas, leaving local parents with serious concerns. Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, found the posters on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating and has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

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Man convicted for antisemitic harassment and threats after Shomrim swoop

Wilberth Henry has been convicted of antisemitic harassment and threats after shouting “I’ll f***ing beat you up, you f***ing Jewish c***”. Henry failed to attend court, but was convicted in his absence on evidence given by a member of Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

Henry was reportedly spotted during a joint patrol by police and Shomrim. As a police officer approached him, he fled on foot, ran into a house and locked the door behind him. The police officer stayed at the front door whilst the Shomrim member ran to secure the back of the house. Henry then climbed out of a first floor window intending to escape, but stopped when he realised he had nowhere to go. After long negotiations, he eventually entered back through the window and was arrested.

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SNP Activist Sidelined Over Antisemitic Posts

A dispute about antisemitism broke out after an SNP party activist had been discovered sharing offensive anti-Israel material

According to The Scotsman the dispute involves Amjed Hussain who has been pictured with Nicola Sturgeon and other leading SNP figures at the party’s manifesto launch. He also has been campaigning with Nationalist candidates and parliamentarians, but most concerning is that he is a Facebook friend of several government ministers.

Many were therefore angered by what Mr Hussain was sharing and the SNP instructed its campaign teams to ensure Mr Hussain was no longer part of the election after his online activity was discovered.

Mr Hussain shared a photo, which stated “Israel has no history – only a criminal record”. He also shared a video claiming that the 11 September, 2001 terrorist attacks were an operation carried out by Mossad, the Israel national intelligence agency. Another post shared by Mr Hussain linked Islamic State to Israel stated, “ISIS is the only terrorist organisation that will travel 2,000 miles to attack Brussels, but can’t travel 52 miles to attack Israel – because the dog does not bite its own tail.”

Such conspiracy theories involving the Jewish state are a form of paranoid antisemitism that is similar to the 20th Century conspiracies that Jews were behind the First World War for their own gain.

Mr Hussain is a party activist but not a Party member, yet this did not stop him campaigning with prominent politicians. In April he was campaigning with Alyn Smith MEP, Jim Eadie, the candidate for the Edinburgh Southern seat, and the Catalan foreign minister Raul Romeva.

Criticism came from the co-founder of Glasgow Friends of Israel who said, “I have seen some pretty grotesque material from him plus quite a few photographs of him with prominent people from the SNP… I find the two together quite disturbing.” Also the Conservative politician Murdo Fraser stated, “This is quite clearly antisemitic. Why the party would want to be associated with highly offensive individuals is a mystery.”
The SNP issued a response, “Mr Hussain is not an SNP member. These views are not acceptable, and certainly don’t reflect those of the SNP, and we have instructed local campaign teams to ensure this individual takes no further part in the election campaign.”

Mr Hussain seemed completely unrepentant, “I want people to have a discussion. I am questioning things.” He also claimed, “They are somebody else’s posts. I am just sharing them.”

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French Politician’s Antisemitic Twitter Account

Djamel Boumaaz, a local politician in the French city of Montpelier, has been discovered using antisemitic language on his twitter bio. Boumazz used the phrase ‘interdit aux chiens et aux juifs’, which translates as ‘forbidden to dogs and Jews’.

A screenshot of the bio can be viewed here.

The Jerusalem Post has since investigated Boumazz’s posts, which has revealed further antisemitism, including describing the Holocaust as ‘imaginary things’, and tweeting a photo of the bodies of Holocaust victims with the caption ‘I have a heap of Jewish friends’. The JP also reported that he is a known friend and associate of the prominent antisemite and Holocaust denier Dieudonne.

Boumazz, a Muslim, was previously a member of the French National Front, before leaving the party in disagreement over Marine Le Pen’s anti-Islamic rhetoric.

The local police are currently investigating.

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Green Party Candidate for Councillor spreads Antisemitism online

Christopher J. Eddie the Green party’s candidate for Hartlepool & Victoria Ward has repeatedly spread antisemitism online following a patten of incitement by Green Party members

 

Eddie has claimed via Twitter that the “Israel lobby manufactured Labour antisemitism crisis”. He also wrote that there is evidence that ISIS is a US-Israel army proxy. Such clear attempts to state that racism is invented by a supposed “lobby” instead of concerned members of the British Jewish community, including Labour Party members, is antisemtic. If that was not enough Mr Eddie thinks that the Jewish state and US, who are bombing ISIS, are secretly actually behind it. Antisemitism has a unique factor which is that it is often linked with conspiracy theories. The Green Party have continued to fail with issues with antisemitism in their own ranks.

This follows disturbing comments made by the Green’s Deputy leader, Dr Shahrar Ali, who said “just because you observe the niceties of Holocaust Memorial Day, doesn’t mean you’ve learnt the lessons of history”. He called an unnamed general group “warmongorers” and sings a song threatening this group’s children. Mr Ali remains in his post.

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Everyday Antisemitism London Online Sports Twitter Ξ E-mail Ξ Social Media

Tottenham fans receive anti-semitic messages after performance in Premier League

Following the victory of Leicester City over Tottenham many took to Twitter to abuse Tottenham fans with anti-semitic comments

Tottenham’s team is located in North London, which has a long and proud Jewish heritage. Twitter users made references Hitler to attack the club’s history with one person writing, “Hitler smiling in his grave as Spurs bottle the title”. Another wrote, “Spurs gone from being beat by hitler too being beat in a tittle race by Leicester”.

More abuse followed when Tottenham lost to Chelsea, anti-semitic slurs included: “Yeeeeees Tottenham ye f****** Jew bottlers”; “Fair balls to Leicester but you gotta feel for Spurs. After what Hitler did to the Jews they deserved this one”; “F******* horrible Jew b******* Tottenham, time to the chambers lads”. Such vicious anti-semitism undermines the long campaign to kick racism out of football.

 

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German YouTuber sentenced for hate speech

Controversial, German YouTube star ‘Julien’ has been found guilty of hate speech by Tecklenburg County Court in Germany, for a video he launched last year on his channel, JuliensBlog.

In the video, which received 800 000 hits over four months, Julien launched into a tirade against the striking train drivers’ union, Gewerkschaft der Lokführer. In the rant, Julien remarks that “those vermin [the union] should be gassed” and, “You know how Jews were transported to Auschwitz? That’s where these train drivers should be taken. I’ll drive the train. I’ll even do it for free. And without striking.” The YouTuber accompanied these statements with images of Auschwitz prisoners.

Julien received a 10 month prison sentence with two years’ probation. He was also ordered to pay a fine of €15,000 and cover all court costs.

In December of last year, Berlin courts fined Danish imam Sheikh Abu Bilal Ismail €1,300 for incitement to hatred but did not sentence him, following his sermon at a Berlin mosque where he called for the audience to “destroy the Zionist Jews…,” and to “count them and kill them to the very last one. Don’t spare a single one…make them suffer.”

Source: Westfälische Nachrichten

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Regional lawmaker in Spain calls Jewish community leader ‘a foreign agent’

A Jewish group in Barcelona threaten legal action against Benet Salellas for comments made during a debate in Catalonia’s Parliament

On 12th May Benet Salellas accused Uriel Benguigui, president of the Jewish Community of Barcelona, of being a “foreign agent” and part of the “Zionist lobby”. Salellas, a member of Popular Unity Candidacy party, objected to Benguigui’s attendance of a meeting of the parliament’s foreign relations committee. In response the Jewish group the FCJE stated that Salellas espoused, “the most repugnant form of anti-Semitism” and used speech that “is wholly illegitimate in diplomatic discourse”. The FCJE may charge Salellas with hate speech as he repeated “the most revolting anti-Semitic clichés that circulated in Europe during its dark days” and “tarnished the parliament’s image”.

The fact that antisemitic statements can be made about a Jewish community leader at such a high level in a European political institution shows the scale of the rise of antisemitism in Europe.

 

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Anti-Semitic comments found on a book in Warwick

Yesterday a History student found anti-Semitic comments on a book while researching for an essay in the Library of the University of Warwick.

The authors of the comments discriminatorily singled out every person quoted on the book that were Jewish or had a Jewish name.

Actions are being taken by the University of Warwick and the Library.

The Jewish Israeli Society commented “We’re feeling really frustrated because we understand that it’s very hard for the library to find out who did this but at the same we don’t want to let it go”. They said that they had expected things to calm down after the polemic around Aysegul Gurbuz, a Warwick student that was accused of anti-Semitism after tweets being posted on her Twitter account. They added that they felt stuck and that their voice didn’t seem to be heard. 

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Everyday Antisemitism Italy Ξ E-mail Ξ Social Media

Holocaust Memorial Vandalized

Red spray paint reads, “Burn the bank” on a Holocaust memorial opened just this year in Bologna. This happened just one month after the monument’s debut. 

On one part of the memorial, four dice were drawn with numbers corresponding to the alphabet, comprising the acronym “A.C.A.B.” or “all cops are bastards.” This was followed by the message, “Extinguish your mortgage, turn on your bank,” followed by an “A” circled in anarchist fashion. 

Another message scrawled on the side of the memorial read, “Place the crate,” reminiscent of concentration camp dormitories.

Claudio Mazzanti, leader of the Democratic Party of the City Council believes the vandals to be “political delinquents” creating a “political provocation” that is, above all else, “stupid” and “shameful.”

Valter Giovannini, deputy prosecutor of Bologna called the act “vile” and an “ignoble gesture. More books and less spray cans.”

Chief Rabbi of Bologna, Alberto Sermoneta, while not underestimating the event, did not wish to dramatize it. He called this crime, “an act, which must be taken for what it is, that is, a manifestation of stupidity…This does not outrage me as a Jew, but as a human being.”

The offenders are expected to be apprehended via images caught on cameras in the area. 

In addition to the graffiti found on the new Shoah memorial, more vandalism was discovered on via Zamboni. Writing targeted the Municipal Theater and commissioner Ignazio Coccia. As in the memorial, another anarchist “A” was seen in the sprayed message, “Coccia hang.” Right beside the entrance of the theatre, someone wrote, “Playground for the rich.”

Daniele De Paz, president of the Jewish community commented that this type of behavior is happening all over the city. “It is a widespread act, I do not think it centers around antisemitism. These slogans are generic and have been found in this piazza in which the Shoah memorial was born, but we believe that the person who besmirched the wall and the monument at night did so only because he found himself in front of a blank white sheet and for this decided to write in this place. Regardless of this, however, the gesture is absolutely unjustifiable and we condemn it.”

“I want to believe that there is still insufficient knowledge of this place that merits much respect, and for this reason the wall has been used for slogans distant from us.” 

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Everyday Antisemitism Italy Ξ E-mail

Italian journalist accosted in London tube

David Guetta, native Florentine and writer for Firenze Viola, was approached by a small crowd of Italian youth after a football match in London on February 25.

Guetta, a sports journalist, had been covering a Europa League match between ACF Fiorentina (known as Fiorentina of Florence) and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (the ‘Spurs’ of Tottenham, London). While awaiting a train on his way back to his hotel after the game, Guetta was surrounded by about 20 teenagers who recognized him and sang, “David Guetta, c’è un treno per Mauthausen che ti aspetta” (David Guetta, a train for Mauthausen waits for you).

Guetta is known as the radio voice of Fiorentina. In response to the event, he published a blog, writing, “…[these young adults] almost certainly do not really know what happened at Mauthausen. Or at Auschwitz, or at Dachau, or at Treblinka. I would have liked to have this encounter on via Farini, in front of the plaque that commemorates the Florentines that left on these trains that today these people want me to go on, on which none of them ever returned.”

Guetta mentioned that in his 30 years of providing radio post-match analysis, he has been subjected to racist anti-Semitic slurs on many occasions. One such event occurred six years ago, when an individual expressed his desire to come to the radio station and “chop off his head” in regard to Guetta’s professional promotion. 

Despite not being an observant Jew, Guetta’s response to these aggressions has been to rejoin the Florentine Jewish community.

Editors of firenzeviola.it expressed solidarity with their colleague.

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany

Holocaust denial in Berlin

In Berlin a sign documenting the places from where jews were deported has been repeatedly vandalized with antisemitic and holocaust-denying slurs.

The Berlin based initiative “Sie waren Nachbarn” (They were neighbours) installed a sign at the place where the majority of Jews from Berlin were deported from. It reads “Von hier fuhren Züge ins Gas” (From here trains headed into the gas). The word “Gas” was overwritten and scrawled on six times, beginning in June 2015 until the whole sign was destroyed in March this year. Repeatedly the word “Gas” was crossed out, also daubings like “Falsch” (wrong) and “Beweise bitte!” (proof please!) were added. Volunteers for “Sie waren Nachbarn” removed the graffiti each time. These are attacks on the memory of the deported and murdered Jews not only in Berlin but also on the Shoah as history. This evidence of Holocaust denial shows that antisemitism continues in Germany today.

 

sie-waren-nachbarn.de

 

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Bomb Threat Everyday Antisemitism London Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

London police seek man who told Jews to leave or be bombed

Police in London are searching for a man who reportedly approached a Jewish family with a metal bar and stick in his hand, and told them “Jews, move away, move away your children, a bomb is coming.” Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood patrol group, said that the man was described as a white male with a shaved head, wearing a dark grey short sleeve t-shirt and blue trousers. The incident took place on Queen Elizabeth’s Walk in north London, and the suspect was last seen walking on Lordship Park in N16.

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Everyday Antisemitism North West Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Jewish cemetery in Manchester vandalised overnight

Fourteen headstones were smashed at the Blackley Jewish cemetery in Charlestown, north-east Manchester, on Wednesday night. Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry from Greater Manchester Police issued a statement describing the vandalism as “a sickening act of antisemitism which we are taking very seriously.” He said that the attack appeared to be “deliberate and targeted” with “clear racial motivation”. The vandals appear to have climbed over the perimeter wall and broken gravestones at random around the cemetery. Chaudry promised to “do everything we can to find out who is responsible and bring the full force of the law down on them” and appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

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UK Labour Party refuses to discipline MEP over “Nazi” tweet

Investigators from Campaign Against Antisemitism have discovered an antisemitic tweet by British Labour politician Afzal Khan. On 2nd August 2014, Khan tweeted a link to an article from which he quoted, “The Israeli Government are [sic] acting like Nazi’s [sic] in Gaza.”

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Khan is a Labour Member of the European Parliament for the North West and sits on various European Parliament committees including the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Budget Committee and the Security and Defence Committee, of which he is Vice Chair.

According to the definition of antisemitism that was first adopted by the European Union itself, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is antisemitic.

His use of the Nazi slur is surprising given Khan’s prominence in interfaith dialogue work. He is co-founder of The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester and was awarded a CBE for his community and interfaith work in 2008.

However the Labour Party has declined to investigate or discipline Khan, instead issuing a short statement: “These views are not shared by the Labour Party and Afzal Khan MEP has been reminded of his responsibilities as a Labour representative.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has responded critically, saying: “This is yet another signal sent to the Jewish community that the Labour Party is not taking its antisemitism problem seriously. We have seen repeated signs that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party operates a zero tolerance policy against racism, but only when convenient. When it costs the party politically, antisemites go unpunished, whether it’s Father of the House, Sir Gerald Kaufman MP, or now Afzal Khan MEP. Suspending Khan would cost Labour politically in the European Parliament, so presumably that is why he has been reminded not to be antisemitic instead of being suspended and investigated.”

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Rampant Facebook antisemitism after Brussels attacks

After terror attacks hit Brussels on 22nd March, Facebook became the venue for widespread antisemitic publications. Profiles of individuals, groups, organisations, and movements aggressively posted polemics against Jews.

While it is typical for conflicts in the Middle East and acts of international terrorism to evoke a vigorous outpouring of antisemitic media (cartoons, photos, comments, etc), there were a few particularly notable posts made recently that are particularly appropriate considering the current high holiday.

One supporter of Italy’s radical right, who defines himself as Kapò at Ferramonti of Tarsi (also know as Ferramonti, an Italian internment camp established by Benito Mussolini in 1940 for political dissidents and ethnic minorities, which housed over 3,800 Jews in the far south), posted, “The Brussels attacks get interpreted as a conspiracy and as a blood ritual practiced by the Jews to ‘propitiate’ the coming Passover holiday.”

The small neo-Nazi party of Lombardy, NSAB-MLNS (NationalSozialistische Arbeiter Bewegung — Movimento di Lavoratori NazionalSocialista), calling themselves the Workers’ National Socialist Movement, published a photo of graffiti that claims, “Terrorism has no religion, it only has financiers: Paris and Brussels are farces of a Jewish system.”

NSAB-MLNS also preaches ideas such as, “Europe is White—fight with us to safeguard your identity!” and “Life is a fight—who doesn’t fight, dies.” This group supports the Waffen SS and denies the Holocaust.

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London Labour fundraiser thinks Israel is behind ISIS and supports Naz Shah

David Watson is the fundraising coordinator for Walthamstow Labour’s Executive Committee, but he has also been revealed to hold very disturbing views.

Watson’s Facebook posts suggest that he believes that Israel is mimicking the Nazis, that the Jewish state is secretly behind ISIS and that disgraced Labour MP Naz Shah did nothing wrong, even after she admitted having posted antisemitic material online.

He has been photographed with Jeremy Corbyn, Sadiq Khan, Ken Livingston, Tom Watson and John McDonnell, raising fresh concerns over whether Labour vets its members.
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Dave with friends

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Another Bradford Councillor connected to Naz Shah tweets antisemitic abuse

Disgraced MP Naz Shah’s friend, parliamentary aide and Labour Party Councillor, Mohammed Shabbir has been discovered by Campaign Against Antisemitism investigators to have repeatedly tweeted the antisemitic conspiracy theory that a conspiracy led by the Jewish state created ISIS. On 24th July 2014 he tweeted: “I find isis vile and repulsive as much as Zionism. Don’t forget baghdadi trained by mossad.” On 8th August, 2014, he tweeted: “Here is a question. Is #isis serving a purpose to create a pretext for Israel to invade Syria and Iraq. Has quest for greater Israel started”.

Shabbir routinely uses the antisemitic epithet “Zio” and accuses Jews of “playing the Holocaust card”. Political blog Guido Fawkes has also found a tweet in which he wrote: “Every Palestinian who survives the ongoing genocide in Gaza is a holocaust survivor”.

According to Shabbir, there might be a “Zionist lobby in the press”. He has even claimed that the BBC is run by a “BBC Hasbara Media Cartel”. Hasbara is a Hebrew word meaning “to explain” and in this context alleges a conspiracy to influence the media.

In addition to his role as Labour Councillor for Heaton Ward in Bradford, Shabbir is also Chief Executive of Sharing Voices, a mental health charity which Labour MP Naz Shah chaired. Shah yesterday stood down as private secretary to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell after it was revealed she had been posting opinions and articles offensive to many Jewish people. Another Councillor accused of antisemitism also works for the charity.

Shabbir’s political stance is that Israel has no right to exist, which is antisemitic according to the EUMC definition of antisemitism. On 30th July 2014, he tweeted that “Zionism has usurped Judaism” and that “the Occupation started in 1948”. That is the year that Israeli statehood was recognised. He goes on to quote that “resistance is only there because of occupation”.  This logic effectively justifies terrorism against the only Jewish State until it ceases to exist.

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Bradford Councillor connected to disgraced Naz Shah tweets Nazi propaganda

Campaign Against Antisemitism investigators have discovered a tweet by Bradford Councillor Ishtiaq Ahmed in which he reposts a link to the notorious antisemitic Nazi propaganda film, The Eternal Jew. Councillor Ahmed has a working relationship with disgraced Labour MP, Naz Shah and is employed by a charity which Shah chaired. It was yesterday revealed that Shah had posted opinions and links which proposed the “relocation” of the entire population of the Jewish state, as well as a comment about the “Jewish question”.

Councillor Ahmed was originally a Councillor for George Galloway’s Respect Party in Bradford’s Manningham Ward. In 2013, Respect suspended him and he remained in office as an independent councillor. He is stepping down at May’s Bradford Council elections. He has said that he has rejoined the Labour Party and is backing Labour’s candidate for Manningham Ward, Sarfraz Nazir.

Councillor Ahmed tweeted a link to Nazi film, “The Eternal Jew” on 10th May, 2014. The film was commissioned by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels with the purpose of winning public support for antisemitic violence. The opening segment, posted by Councillor Ahmed from the “HitlerMyFührer” Youtube channel, begins “One of the most illuminating customs of the Jews’ so-called religion, is the slaughter of animals…” He has also posted an Israel conspiracy theory video alleging that Israel is behind the Islamic State and caused the Iraq War.

Councillor Ahmed is employed by the Sharing Voices charity, which Labour MP Naz Shah chaired. Shah yesterday stood down as private secretary to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell after it was revealed she had been posting opinions and articles offensive to many Jewish people. The CEO of the charity is Labour Councillor, Mohammed Shabbir, who has also been accused of antisemitic social media posts.

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Labour defends “Jewish question” MP playing pivotal role in antisemitism inquiry

Social media posts from 2014 by Labour MP Naz Shah have been discovered proposing that the Jewish state should be “relocated” to America, suggesting that she would “tweet Barack Obama and David Cameron and put this idea to them”. In August 2014 Shah tweeted a link to an article claiming that Zionism used “religious symbolism…to groom other modernised men and women of Jewish descent to exert political influence at the highest levels of public office by using the guilt of the pogroms and offered a solution to the ‘Jewish Question’ in Europe.” In July 2014, she posted a link on Facebook to a newspaper poll asking whether Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza, commenting: “The Jews are rallying to the poll.”

Naz Shah currently sits as one of only 11MPs on the Home Affairs Committee about to launch an inquiry into antisemitism, despite openly and publicly expressing these views.

Earlier this month Naz Shah alleged in a letter to the Prime Minister that Abdul Zaman, the deputy chairman of the Bradford Conservative Association, had made antisemitic comments in a public speech made in the Mirpuri dialect.

Shah shot to prominence int he Labour Party when she beat George Galloway in the last General Election.

In response, the Labour Party has issued a statement from Naz Shah saying: “This post from two years ago was made before I was an MP, does not reflect my views and I apologise for any offence it has caused.”

 

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UK Labour Party suspends member who said Holocaust is used as “financial racket”

The Labour Party has suspended a party member who called the Holocaust a “financial racket” and “a useful political tool”. John McAuliffe, a self-described “foreign affairs heavyweight” who is believed to be based in Dublin, was suspended after posting on his Facebook page: “The Holocaust has been the most useful political tool of the Zionist government in Israel to establish a financial racket in the West, whereby Israel receives an unlimited sum for the duration of its existence. The large level of poverty in Israel among Holocaust survivors shows they don’t care about the emotional impact they are trying to generate. It is about money and military technology. This further paints a clearer picture of the divide between Zionism and Judaism, and their incompatibility.”

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“Holocaust industry” poster now found at University of Glasgow

Students at the University of Glasgow have found a poster claiming that the Holocaust was a “robbery” and a “fraud” used by Jews to create a “Holocaust industry”. According to this line of thinking, the Holocaust was greatly exaggerated or entirely fabricated by Jews so that they could make financial gains, for example from war reparations.

Earlier in the week an identical poster was found at the University of Edinburgh, in what now appears to be a campaign of Holocaust denial.

Police Scotland has been informed.

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Edinburgh students find poster claiming Jews invented the Holocaust for financial gain

Students at the University of Edinburgh have found a poster claiming that the Holocaust was a “robbery” and a “fraud” used by Jews to create a “Holocaust industry”. According to this line of thinking, the Holocaust was greatly exaggerated or entirely fabricated by Jews so that they could make financial gains, for example from war reparations.

Edinburgh University Students’ Association has condemned the poster and the university has opened an investigation.

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UK Jewish students raise concerns over candidate for national student president

This week, hundreds of students from British universities, signed a letter questioning statements made by Malia Bouattia, a candidate for the presidency of the National Union of Students in the UK.

Bouattia has referred to Birmingham University as a “Zionist outpost”  and referred to the fact that it has the “largest [Jewish Society] in the country” when describing the challenges she was facing at the time. These views have offended Jewish students and divided the national student body. For Jewish students, the prospect of the President of the National Union of Students (NUS) holding such views about Jewish students is quite obviously disconcerting. Should a person who uses such rhetoric become the President of NUS, it is likely that this would create a deep rift between NUS and Jewish students.

Just recently, Bouattia explained at an event at SOAS that the government’s Prevent counter-extremism strategy is the product of a so called “Zionist lobby”.

Bouattia’s response to the letter denounced the allegations as “false”. The President of Birmingham’s Jewish Society has answered.

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Confusion over suspension of ‘antisemitic’ Conservative Councillor

Abdul Zaman, the deputy chairman of the Bradford Conservative Association, has been suspended after making ‘antisemitic’ comments in support of local Conservative council candidate Sajid Akhtar.

Bradford politics has been heavily affected by the Biradri clan-based system of politics under which the selection and election of candidates and politicians can be influenced by their belonging or promises to a particular clan. The Biradri has been implicated in George Galloway’s election as MP for Bradford West for the Respect Party, leading the Labour Party to remove the local party’s ability to select its own candidates.

Zaman delivered a speech in the Mirpuri dialect which defended the Biradri system, ending in a statement about Jews and Christians. The speech ends with a call for the whole community to talk to their neighbours and friends and tell them to vote for Akhtar “so that the Jews and Christians know that we are one Biradri.”

This has been interpreted as either a message of unity, or as one of division, telling the local community to show Jews and Christians that they will adhere to the Biradri system and not be divided. Interpretation is made more difficult by the fact that Mirpuri is a purely oral dialect, and various phrases used in the speech can have different literal translations.

Local Labour MP Naz Shah has complained about the speech in a letter to the Prime Minister.

Zaman was immediately suspended pending investigations by the local Conservative Party as well as the national Conservative Party.

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Graffiti on London bus stop claims Jews causing third World War

A passerby has discovered graffiti advertising a Jewish conspiracy theory on a bus stop outside Swiss Cottage Library in London. The graffiti claims that Jews are laying siege to Europe and causing a third World War. The website does not work. Police have said that the graffiti will be removed.

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Swastika sprayed on Italian school named after Anne Frank

In Montecchio Maggiore, a small town situated just outside of Vicenza, between Verona and Venice, multiple schools were desecrated with antisemitic graffiti. Public middle school, Anne Frank, was vandalised on the night of Friday, 4th March, as delinquents defaced the school’s sign with a swastika.

Afterwards, evidence suggests the vandals got into the school yard where they tarnished a wall with blasphemy, slander against the school’s vice principle, Alessandra Mantiero, and antisemitic libel. Similar writing was found on elementary school, Manzoni.

Upon arrival at school Monday morning, students and teachers were shocked. Especially poignant is the fact that a school named after a victim of the Holocaust, in remembrance of Nazi persecution, has been targeted with antisemitic violence. In addition to besmirching the schools, the hoodlums knocked about plants and attempted to start a fire. A tree in the courtyard was planted to commemorate the experience of the oppressed during World War II, as the tree Anne Frank watched grow from outside her window in Amsterdam while she was in hiding.

In response to this expression of contempt for a name that is symbolic of persecution, president of the parents’ committee, Barbara Gasparella stated, “It is a very serious act.”

Livio Fedrigo, a teacher at the school, explained, “For us it is not a joke because this act extols a situation that we, in school, fight against. They [the culprits] wanted to strike universal symbols. On our [the teachers’ ] part, we stand in full solidarity with Mantiero.”

Police located the spray-paint can used to deface the schools by Manzoni. Thanks to nearby bank surveillance camera footage, local police have been able to identify the vandals as 13, 14, and 15 year old students.

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Shomrim rush to scene in London as man shouts death threats at Jewish boys

In the early hours of this morning, three young Orthodox Jewish boys were walking along Manor Road in the Stamford Hill area of London when a man started shouting allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar! F***ing Jews! Kill the Jews!”

The boys called Shomrim which responded immediately, the suspect was still in the area, threatening pedestrians and shouting antisemitic abuse. Shomrim liaised with the Police and assisted the victims until the police arrived, at which point the man was arrested.

Chaim Hochhauser, Supervisor at Stamford Hill Shomrim, said “Antisemitism and all types of hate crime are unacceptable. I urge victims and witnesses to report such incidents immediately. Such incidents should never be accepted as the norm, no matter how regularly these incidents sadly happen.”

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Labour Councillor’s Twitter account praises “my man Hitler” for Holocaust

Aysegul Gurbuz is the youngest ever Councillor in Luton, representing High Town Ward for the Labour Party since 7th May 2015. She also sits on a panel supervising Bedfordshire Police. Her support for Jeremy Corbyn’s bid to lead the Labour Party was published on his campaign website.

But tweets on her Twitter account also show strong support for Adolf Hitler who is referred to as “my man Hitler” and the “greatest man in history”. Another tweet hoped that Iran would use a “nuclear weapon” to “wipe Israel off the map”. Other tweets expressed “disgust” that “Jews are so powerful”, and one even stated “Ed Miliband is Jewish. He will never become prime minister of Britain.”

One tweet said: “If it wasn’t for my man Hitler these Jews would’ve wiped Palestine years ago. Sorry but it’s a fact.” The tweet’s author added “Not hating on Jews btw”, presumably concerned that someone might think they had some kind of problem with Jews. Among the most shocking tweets was one that began: “Jews cannot expect us to sympathise with their history under Hitler”.

Gurbuz was also a candidate for Warwick Student Union’s Ethnic Minorities Officer, listing in her manifesto a commitment to “Increase awareness of Holocaust Memorial Day”, as well as serving on the Executive Committee of the Warwick Friends of Palestine Society.

When Campaign Against Antisemitism approached Gurbuz for comment, she said that her sister had probably tweeted the tweets, and that she had no recollection of them.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has reported the matter to the Labour Party, the University of Warwick, the University of Warwick Students’ Union and the police. They also provided details of the story to the media.

It is understood that she has been suspended by the Labour Party and has deleted her Twitter account.

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Graffiti at SOAS University of London threatens opponents of BDS

On 6th April, Israel’s new ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, visited London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and met with the University’s Director, Valerie Amos. The following day, Jewish students noticed red and black graffiti scattered across campus. In bold red, the phrase “BDS or else” could not have been mistaken. BDS refers to a campaign to boycott, divest from or place sanctions on Israel.

The graffiti stood out amongst most other anti-Israel incidents SOAS is infamous for because of its sinister undertone. “Or else” enforces the message of harmful or violent consequences, which Jewish students on campus feel threatened by.

Avrahum Sanger, a student at SOAS commented, “The actions and graffiti on campus yesterday at SOAS further contribute to the fear Israeli and Jewish students face at SOAS. Already students are afraid to speak Hebrew on campus, wear Jewish items of clothing or identify as Israeli or Jewish and further demonisation only serves to alienate both groups further.”

SOAS has not made any comment on the incident and the graffiti has yet to be removed.

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London Jewish family’s car egged by attackers shouting antisemitic abuse

Shomrim has reported that a car carrying a Jewish couple and their baby has been attacked with eggs, whilst the perpetrators shouted “F***ing Jews” and “Kill the Jews” amongst other antisemitic abuse. The incident took place at 02:00 this morning in London’s Blackwall Tunnel. There was no prior contact or incident between the two cars.

Officers from Tower Hamlets Police stopped a vehicle and arrested its four male occupants shortly after the incident, and investigations are ongoing. Shomrim are assisting the victims.

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UK Labour Party activist reported to party and police over antisemitic tweets

Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to the Labour Party and the police to report antisemitic activist Choudhry Shahzad.

On 14th July 2014, Shahzad tweeted a fabricated Adolf Hitler quotation which has become an antisemitic meme “I could have annihilated all the Jews, but I left some of them to let you know why I was annihilated them. – Aldof Hitler #GazaUnderAttack”. He then returned to Twitter 35 minutes later to correct his grammar and spelling, writing a second tweet saying “I could have annihilated all the Jews, but I left some of them to let the World know why I was annihilating them. – Hitler”.

On 2nd August 2014, Shahzad tweeted the meme again, writing: “Hitler Well Said: I could have annihilated all the Jews, but I left some of them to let you know why I was annihilated them. – Adolf Hitler”. He returned to Twitter five hours later to tweet photographs of Gaza captioned: “I could have annihilated all the Jews, but I left some of them to let you know why I was annihilated them. Hitler”.

On other occasions, Shahzad has tweeted quotations from Hitler, despite styling himself as a “progressive” patriot whose Twitter profile photo is overlaid with a Union Jack and whose cover photo shows the Houses of Parliament by night.

Shahzad is a keen supporter of the Labour Party, appears to be on good terms with Ruth Cadbury MP, and has recently campaigned for Sadiq Khan MP, however there is no evidence that they were aware of his admiration for Adolf Hitler, or that he occupied any official position.

Following Campaign Against Antisemitism’s complaint, the Labour Party suspended Shahzad pending investigation, but would not comment on the duration of the suspension or what would result in expulsion.

The Labour Party has been dogged by daily revelations of antisemitism amongst its activists, but has yet to take meaningful action.

Last year, teacher Mahmudhul Choudhury was convicted after tweeting the same fabricated Hitler quotation. Choudhury was also banned from teaching for life by the Secretary of State for Education after Campaign Against Antisemitism instigated professional misconduct proceedings against him.

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With Sadiq Khan MP

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With Ruth Cadbury MP

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Elderly German man spits at Spanish tourists, wishes more Jews died

A group of Spanish tourists was harassed by an elderly man at a bus station after a trip to Berlin’s Platform 17 Holocaust memorial.

The man began to denounce the number of “dirty Jew monuments” present in Berlin and, in addition to spitting at the group, made statements in support of Hitler and the Holocaust. He also told the tourists that his family was involved in the gassing of Jews and that he wished that more Jews had been murdered.

The bus driver, who saw the entire exchange, encouraged passengers to board the bus and to leave the man alone.

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Neo-Nazis demonstrate against Jews at war memorial in Golders Green

A group of nine neo-Nazis demonstrated for half an hour against Jews during the Jewish Sabbath at the foot of the war memorial in Golders Green.

Last summer, the same group of neo-Nazis, led by Eddie Stampton, attempted to hold a larger demonstration in Golders Green on 4th July. The Metropolitan Police Service used their powers under the Public Order Act to move the demonstration to a kettling pen in Westminster and limited its duration to one hour. The move by the police was seen as a very public defeat by the neo-Nazis and came as a result of the large counter-demonstration planned by Campaign Against Antisemitism and a month of negotiations with the Metropolitan Police Service’s Public Order Branch.

The neo-Nazis were forced to organise any future demonstrations in total secrecy, to avoid giving Campaign Against Antisemitism the ability to organise against them. They arranged their demonstration on Saturday by inviting only a small group of committed neo-Nazi individuals and Campaign Against Antisemitism had no advance warning of their presence. The Metropolitan Police Service received notification the day before the demonstration.

The sole speaker on Saturday was Jeremy Bedford-Turner, whom Campaign Against Antisemitism reported to the police last July for his antisemitic speech in the kettling pen. He delivered a similar speech to his speech last July, accusing Jews of everything from subverting Roman justice resulting in the crucifixion of Jesus, through to subverting many of the world’s governments in modern times.

Three weeks ago, Campaign Against Antisemitism took measures which they hope will significantly impact this particular neo-Nazi group in the weeks to come.

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UKIP expels senior official after ‘antisemitic abuse’ at Christmas party

The London chairman of the UK Independence Party has been expelled after he allegedly called one-time parliamentary candidate Nigel Sussman a “North London Jewish c***” at a UKIP Christmas party in December.

Mr Sussman, UKIP’s chairman for Enfield and Haringey, reported John Hellings to the party after the incident took place at the Civil Service Club in London. After an investigation UKIP has formally expelled Mr Hellings from the party.

Mr Sussman, who said that he was pleased that the party had acted swiftly, has stated that he had only met Mr Hellings twice, for less than a minute each time.

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Graffiti in London pub claims Jews run the country and start all wars

Londoner David Patrikarakos was surprised to see antisemitic graffiti in the toilet at a local pub in Victoria. He tweeted photos, commenting: “I’ve lived in London all my life and you never used to see this stuff around. Sad.” The graffiti claims that “Jews run [the] UK” and “Jews start all war[s] for [money]”.

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Greater Manchester Police officer keeps job after Hitler post

Police constable Shahid Shah has won a fight to keep his job after being caught out posting an image of the Israeli Prime Minister superimposed on Adolf Hitler. “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is explicitly specified as antisemitic according to the definition of antisemitism used by the UK College of Policing.

Shah apologised and admitted that he had breached professional standards, but his lawyer, Julian King, successfully argued that he should merely receive a formal written warning and take part in diversity and social media training.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Shah posted the image during a debate on Facebook in a private group for police officers. The image superimposed an image of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu on a picture of Hitler pointing at a map with Nazi colleagues. The debate apparently turned antisemitic, with one officer commenting to ask whether the “execution of six million Jews is OK too?”

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan told the disciplinary hearing: “He did cause offence to members of the Jewish community, failed to show initially that he accepted what he had done was wrong and showed he had failed to learn lessons from a previous warning about what he had posted on Facebook.” The hearing also heard that Shah “only apologised when he was interviewed” about the post.

Shah responded: “If this has caused people upset, I’m sorry. It was never my intention to offend, only to prompt debate about the situation in Gaza. I saw innocent women and children being killed and wounded and I wanted people to think long and hard about the situation.”

Shah’s lawyer told the hearing that the Professional Standards Branch of Greater Manchester Police had initially recommended the PC should face misconduct rather rather gross misconduct proceedings, which would have meant that he could not be dismissed, however Assistant Chief Constable Shewan overruled the decision and instigated gross misconduct proceedings which could result in dismissal.

The chair of the hearing panel said that Shah had made an “early admission, apologised in his interview and accepted it was an error of judgment.”

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Italian football fans in London tell reporter to go to concentration camp

David Guetta, a well known reporter for a private radio station in Florence, Italy, was at the receiving end of antisemitic chanting after Fiorentina won against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart lane in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The antisemitic chants came from visiting fans, which Guetta said were “20 young Italians with a Tuscan accent” who were chanting “David Guetta, there is a train to Mauthausen waiting for you.” It is believed that around 120,000 Jewish people were killed at a concentration camp in Mauthausen during World War II.

The reporter said “I would like to have this meeting in front of the plaque in Via Farini which serves as a reminder for the Florentines who departed on those trains, on which they now want me to go on, and didn’t return”.

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Germany bans neo-Nazi “White Wolves Terror Crew”

Germany has banned neo-Nazi group “White Wolves Terror Crew”. There has been a rise in right-wing sentiment in Germany following the arrival of over a million migrants last year. Police raided 15 properties in Berlin on properties where far-right groups were suspected of operating.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has said there is no place in Germany for groups like the White Wolves which advocates the creation of a dictatorship based on Nazism. He said: “It spreads a xenophobic and inhuman ideology, it brings right wing extremist incitement onto the street and is not scared of committing violence.”

German intelligence reported last year that White Wolves was originally a fan club of a right-wing radical skinhead band where members had been seen shouting “Sieg Heil” and performning Nazi salutes, which are banned in Germany.

 

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French synagogue vandalised with swastikas and “Screw the Jews”

Black swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti was discovered by congregants on Saturday morning in the small French city of Verdun. It was the first incident of its kind in the city in recent memory.

Swastikas were drawn over a relief shaped like the Tablets of Testimony, drawn over the Hebrew inscription.

“Screw the Jews” and other antisemitic slogans were written on the wall.

The vandals also forced open an outer door, but were not able to breach the second, more sturdy entrance.

“I am speechless, shocked and outraged at this incident,” the local community’s vice president, Jean Blacharz, said.

Police have placed extra security around the synagogue and are investigating the incident. The vandals remain unidentified.

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Everyday Antisemitism Politics Slovakia Ξ E-mail

Neo-Nazi party makes significant gains in Slovakian elections 

A neo-Nazi party made significant gains in Slovakia’s recent general election, winning parliamentary seats for the first time.

The LS-Nase Slovensko (Our Slovakia) party, led by Marian Kotleba, gained 14 parliamentary seats on 6th March after picking up 8 per cent of the vote in an election that failed to produce a majority result.

The party is known for defending Slovakia’s WWII role as a puppet state of Nazi Germany. Another extreme-right party, the Slovak National Party (SNS), returned to the parliament, or National Council, after a four-year absence, winning 15 seats.

Slovakia’s Social Democrat Prime Minister Robert Fico lost his parliamentary majority in what has been termed a “big earthquake” in the country’s politics.

Fico’s governing coalition won 49 seats in the 150-seat Parliament after adopting one of the one of the toughest positions on the migration crisis among EU leaders. He said: “We’ll never bring even a single Muslim to Slovakia: we won’t create any Muslim communities here because they pose a serious security risk.”

The following day Jewish groups spoke out over the electoral successes of neo-Nazi parties in Europe, citing Svoboda in Ukraine and Golden Dawn in Greece.

“Once again we see hate-groups disguised as democratic parties enter European national parliaments,” said European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor. “This is an extremely worrying trend and something that all moderate parties and politicians from the Left and Right should work against.”

The New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) highlighted the fact that Marian Kotleba and others in his party have expressed support for the Hlinka Guard, which helped deport Slovakia’s Jews to death camps.

“An openly neo-Nazi party will now have a national platform, at the heart of Slovakia’s democracy, to spread its hate,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s chief executive. “All of the democratic parties which will sit with Kotleba and his fellow bigots must counter them at every turn.”

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Czech Republic Everyday Antisemitism Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Shouts of “Allahu akbar” directed at Czech synagogue

Security guards outside the Spanish Synagogue in Prague reported that during their Friday night service on 4th March, a black Volkswagen car drove close to the synagogue’s entrance and the passengers shouted “Allahu Akbar” towards them.

The car departed but returned a few minutes later and the passengers again shouted “Allahu Akbar”, which means “God is great” in Arabic. By now a police patrol was present at the entrance but it is not clear whether the offenders were spoken to by police.

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Everyday Antisemitism Italy Newspaper Ξ E-mail

Literary Nobel Prize winner, Dario Fo, speaks of ‘Jewish brutality’

Playwright, actor, comedian, singer, director, painter, politician and overall Renaissance man, Dario Fo, commented on Jews in a recent interview with Anna Bandettini of La Repubblica. In response to a question regarding Roberto Benigni, Fo criticised the actor/comedian for his work on The Ten Commandments, a show aired by Italy’s RAI 1 channel.

Benigni, who acts in this rendition of the Exodus, said that there is no more beautiful story. In the La Repubblica interview, Fo calls Benigni out for being an ‘opportunist’ and states that, “…you cannot become the maker of the Jews and not mention their brutality against those of other religions, as it happens today…Benigni is not good for comedy.”

Fo, who is internationally acclaimed for his plays, has notably been denounced by the Vatican for his ‘blasphemous’ writing. In 1997 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

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Everyday Antisemitism Greece Protests Ξ E-mail

Antisemitic books and banner at Greek rally

Antisemitic publications and a banner proclaiming “international Zionism” to be the Greek people’s enemy were on display at a rally ostensibly against the introduction of a new electronic ID card.

Hundreds of people attended the protest in Nea Paralia, Thessaloniki, in late February including laypeople and members of the Greek Orthodox organisation Agios Vasileios.

Demonstrators gathered by a statue of Alexander the Great to protest against the “instruments of Antichrist and the New World Order” by holding religious icons, banners, Greek and Byzantine flags. One banner bore the message: “No to the citizen’s card. There is only one enemy: The international Zionism.”

Publications with titles like “The Jewish-Zionist vampire Soros is thirsty for Greek blood” were on sale, while protesters shouted slogans against “the Jewish” Mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris. Boutaris is not Jewish but wore a yellow Star of David during his swearing-in ceremony in 2014, in protest at the election to the council of a member of the fascist Golden Dawn Party.

One of the speakers at the rally was the excommunicated Abbot Methodios, who at a similar event in Athens a few weeks earlier threatened the Jews with a “Greek Hitler”. In Thessaloniki, he said that the Christians are enslaved by “the Jews” and that Jews “were cannibals, when the Greeks were building Parthenons”. His antisemitic rant was warmly applauded, according to a report by Greek journalist Sofia Christoforidou.

Daniel Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International, told The Algemeiner: “It was a particularly vile antisemitic demonstration. The fact that it happened in a city that is so important in Jewish history and whose population suffered – more than 90 percent killed during the Shoah – makes the demonstration even that much more outrageous.”

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Everyday Antisemitism Newspaper Turkey Ξ E-mail

Turkish journalist defines chimps and gorillas as “Cursed, mutated Jews”

In an article for Vahdet, a radical Islamist and pro-government Turkish paper, journalist Seyfi Sahen referred to the chimps and gorillas of North Africa as “cursed Jews…perverted humans that have mutated.” Sahen argues that Allah has cursed “perverted” Jews and therefore they have mutated into chimps and gorillas as a result. Throughout this article, Sahen accuses Jews of “terrorising the world of science” while also writing that Jews have “banks and money.” Sahen is thereby using the same type of propaganda that was used against Jews by the Nazis, by proposing that Jews are not to be considered human beings, and also by reinforcing the stereotype of Jews controlling the banks.

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Everyday Antisemitism Lack of Security London Ξ E-mail

London synagogue installs bulletproof entrance

West London Synagogue has installed a bulletproof entrance amid security concerns.

The entrance will now allow only one door to be open at a time, allowing security to identity and investigate visitors more thoroughly. Shabbat locks were also installed.

The steel-reinforced entrance was installed by a security company which said: “With the increasing threat of terror from around the world, synagogues need to take security more seriously than before.”

West London Synagogue was established in 1840. It is the oldest prayer space affiliated with the Movement for Reform Judaism.

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Politics Ξ E-mail

Mayor of German city criticises awarding tolerance prize to antisemitic group

Brigitte Merk-Erbe, mayor of the German city of Bayreuth, has taken a stand against antisemitism. The Bayreuth city’s tolerance prize was to be awarded to the controversial group Code Pink, participated in a conference in 2014 among Holocaust deniers. Furthermore, the organisation protested at an AIPAC conference in 2015 by calling for the elimination of the State of Israel, furthering their disqualification for an award that is granted based on outstanding “tolerance.”

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Everyday Antisemitism Music Scotland Ξ E-mail

Neo-Nazi band makes UK debut

On February 13th, Finnish band Satanic Warmasters made its UK debut in Glasgow. The band has links to neo-Nazis and has been criticised for songs like “Seig Heil” and “Gas Chamber”, which refers to “torching the Jewish creation”.

The band has performed National Socialist Black Metal, including music by Germany’s Absurd, and issued releases with Aryan Blood. One member broke parole terms upon release from prison by giving the Nazi salute.

Glasgow rock venue Audio was originally scheduled to hold the event, but backed out after Satanic Warmasters were linked to the far-right. The 200-capacity event took place at Ivory Blacks instead.

A member of the Glasgow Anti-Fascists said: “If they’re not fascists, they’re certainly fellow travelers – they have worked with racist bands, they have shared stages with them and they have released records on labels that only release racist records. Where do you draw the line? There’s plenty of black metal bands who have no connection to fascist music or will not share stages with these kinds of bands.”

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Everyday Antisemitism Newspaper Spain Ξ E-mail

Spanish magazine publishes cartoon showing Jews abusing Jesus

Popular left-wing Spanish satirical magazine El Jueves portrayed hook-nosed Jewish caricatures abusing Jesus and Palestinians.

In El Jueves’ latest issue, illustrator Julio Serrano made allegations that Jerusalem’s Israel Museum keeps a Torah scroll wrapped in “the skin of my holy testicles” and depicted a long-nosed Jew harassing a beaten Jesus. The issue also featured themes that showed Jews in Nazi-style helmets, mistreating Palestinians.

The Jewish community has threatened to take legal action, saying “This [cartoon] could be taken from the Nazis’ Der Sturmer and nobody would notice the difference.”

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Everyday Antisemitism France Violence Ξ E-mail

Jewish 13-year-old brutally attacked outside Paris synagogue

A 13-year-old Jewish boy was brutally attacked by three men on Saturday outside a Paris synagogue, where he was meeting his father. Seeing his skullcap, the men allegedly called him a “dirty Jew” and punched him several times, tore off his skullcap, grabbed him by the hair and smashed his head against a post. The attackers then ran away as passersby approached. Police are looking for three men of “African origin”.

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Denmark Everyday Antisemitism Hazardous Materials Terrorism Ξ E-mail

Danish schoolgirl and returned fighter from Syria charged over Jewish school bomb plot

A 16-year-old Danish girl has been charged with planning a terrorist attack on two schools, one of them Jewish. According to Danish police, the girl was befriended by a 24-year-old who local media have said had returned to Denmark after fighting in Syria. The girl was charged after acquiring chemicals for bombs, and her friend has also been charged over his complicity in preparing the bombs, including providing bomb-making instructions. Local channel TV2 said the girl had recently converted to Islam.

Both the girl and her friend have pleaded innocence.

In February last year, a terrorist gunman killed two people in shooting attacks at a debating event, before moving on and murdering Dan Udan, a security volunteer at a Copenhagen synagogue.

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Everyday Antisemitism London Sports Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Arsenal fans caught on camera singing antisemitic songs

Arsenal fans have disgraced themselves by singing an antisemitic song on their way to a match against rival team Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. As they rode the London Underground to the stadium, a group of Arsenal supporters can be heard loudly singing “I’ve got a foreskin, haven’t you? F***ing Jew!”

The witness who filmed the incident told the Daily Mail: “I got off at Seven Sisters [Station] and spoke to the police about it but they didn’t really do anything about it. The video I shot isn’t the half of it – they were singing about the Holocaust and Aushwitz – I’ve heard that kind of thing before but it doesn’t normally happen with Arsenal. There weren’t really any other Spurs fans on the train, but there were normal commuters. No one seemed shock, some people were actually laughing. I was really offended by it.”

British Transport Police told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “We have been made aware of a video on social media showing antisemitic behaviour on board a Tube train BTP takes these matters very seriously. The matter is currently being investigated and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with any information should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting reference 131 of 08/03/16.”

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East Midlands Everyday Antisemitism Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Derbyshire drunk convicted for racist and antisemitic abuse

A drunk man hurled racist and antisemitic insults in the street in Derby after last year’s Paris terrorist attacks, a court heard.

Suicide bombers and gunmen killed 130 people during the attacks in the French capital on 13th November 2015.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court heard how David Gregory, 46, of Gerard Street, Derby, had been angered by the news and went out drinking the following day.

He was walking down Etwall Road in Derby at about 16:30 on 14th November 2015 when he saw a man jogging towards him. Gregory launched a string of obscene, racist insults at the man, who ran away and called police.

Lynne Bickley, prosecuting, said: “He thought the things he was saying weren’t nice things to hear and the last salute he had in his hand was in the shape of a fist. Police saw him standing on the pavement swaying, believed to be drunk. He said the female police officers looked young enough to be his daughters.”

Mrs Bickley said he then made numerous antisemitic comments and other remarks about people with dark skin.

After Gregory’s arrest for racially aggravated aggressive behaviour, he continued to make offensive remarks in the back of the police car, officers said.

Jaz Soodi, in mitigation, said Gregory had apologised for his outbursts and was embarrassed by his actions, which he could not remember. “He basically told the police what he told me – he couldn’t believe he had done it,” Mr Soodi said. “He was angry about what had happened in Paris. His partner had phoned police and said he was annoyed by it.”

Gregory was handed a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and a ten-day rehabilitation requirement, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

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Everyday Antisemitism Greece Protests

Greek farmers decry ‘Jewish control of banks’

Protesting farmers displayed an antisemitic banner last month at the entrance of the National Bank of Greece in Chania, the second largest city in Crete.

The farmers hung two banners during the demonstration on 8th February: one that read “The Colonial Bank” and another saying “Rothschilds out of Greece”, implying that the National Bank is controlled by Jewish banking families. Greek media outlets that reported the protest apparently failed to note the banner’s antisemitic nature.

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Bulgaria Everyday Antisemitism Protests Ξ E-mail

Bulgarians march in illegal tribute to pro-Nazi WWII General

The annual Lukov March took place in Bulgaria last month in memory of a Second World War General who was known for being pro-Nazi and antisemitic.

Held in Sofia on February 14, the torchlit procession commemorates General Hristo Lukov and has been held for thirteen consecutive years.

Despite it officially being banned by the authorities, dozens of people participated in the march organised by the neo-Nazi Bulgarian National Union.

Lukov, who was murdered by communists at the age of 56 on February 13, 1943,  led the nationalistic Union of Bulgarian National Legions and worked closely with the Third Reich.

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Everyday Antisemitism Northern Ireland Religion Ξ E-mail

Northern Ireland Catholic priest caught doing Nazi salute in room full of Nazi memorabilia

A video has emerged of a Roman Catholic priest taking drugs in a room that is filled with Nazi merobilia.

The memorabilia, owned by Father Stephen Crossan, includes flags, hats and an eagle with a swastika on a plinth. Crossan lives on the grounds of St Patrick’s Church in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. The Daily Mail quoted a source as saying: “It was all over the house. At one point Stephen put on a cap and did the Nazi salute. It’s shocking. He’s supposed to be an upstanding member of society.”

Crossan denied being a Nazi and said the memorabilia was there because he collects “historical stuff”. He said he suffers from depression and had left the church but was being backed by the parish. A spokesman for his bishop said the priest would be supported through his issues.

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Everyday Antisemitism North West Vandalism Verbal Abuse Violence Ξ E-mail

North West Infidels clash with anti-fascism group in Liverpool

A march and protest by North West Infidels, along with Polish fascists and young neo-Nazi group National Action took place this weekend in Liverpool City Centre. Over 500 people from anti-fascist groups dirsupted the march.

Fascists gathered near St George’s Square joined by Polish Nazis, and then moved into the square where the Nazis were allowed to hold their protest. Only after several hours were they finally marched out by the police to the station to board a train to Manchester.

The fascists threw projectiles including firecrackers at passersby and defaced buildings by painting swastikas on them.

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Everyday Antisemitism London Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Man arrested in London after shouting antisemitic abuse about “gas chambers”

A man was arrested on Clapton Common in north London yesterday after shouting antisemitic abuse at Jewish passersby, including references to “gas chambers”. Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, followed the man and ensured that the police were provided with witness statements.

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Education Everyday Antisemitism Netherlands Ξ E-mail

Report finds rampant antisemitism in Dutch schools

A report written by a Dutch Jewish journalist, Margalith Kleijwegt, at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Education, found that there is rampant antisemitism within Dutch schools, especially amongst Muslim students.

The report, entitled “Two Worlds, Two Realities – How do you deal with it as a teacher?” gave many examples of antisemitism within the classroom, as recounted by teachers. In one example a student stood up and threatened to “gun down all Jews” with a rifle. In another example, in Amsterdam a female student of Moroccan descent stood up and pronounced: “If I had a Kalashnikov [assault rifle], I’d gun down all the Jews.”

The report found that some teachers feel they have no influence over students who have deep-seated prejudices against other students especially against Jews.

Kleijwegt wrote in the report, “Antisemitic behaviour is a recurrent problem in some schools. Some see it as a provocation [by pupils], others fear it goes deeper: that pupils receive anti-Jewish attitudes at home.”

Source: Arutz 7

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Posters Ξ E-mail

Antisemitic banner attached to residence in Germany for several months

An antisemitism watchdog in Kassel, Germany, has reported that a banner reading, “Israel are racists like the SS” was attached to the facade of a local residence for several months. Clearly visible to the public from a main road, the propaganda falsely equates Israel to Germany’s Schutzstaffel.

The Schutzstaffel was a group of ‘body guards’ founded by Adolf Hitler, that, by 1939, had amassed over 250,000 troops. It went on to form the foundation of the Nazi regime, which is estimated to have murdered 11-17 million people.

The hateful propaganda material is said to have caused the local Jewish community considerable distress.

Sources: Informationsstelle Antisemitismus Kassel, Wikipedia

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Posters Ξ E-mail

Berlin memorial to child refugees of Holocaust targeted again by far-right

The Refugee Children Movement memorial in the Friedrichstraße area of Berlin, Germany, continues to be targeted by the right-wing, anti-refugee group “Bürgerbewegung Pro Deutschland” (Civic Initiative for Germany).

The memorial commemorates the rescue effort that took place during the nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, when the United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Free City of Danzig.

In a repeat of January’s hate campaign, the party once again placed their publicity flyers inside an open suitcase represented in the sculpture. In December, flyers from “B.Ä.R.G.I.D.A”, the Berlin branch of Pegida, were also found there.

In November, a woman received antisemitic abuse from a passerby for looking at the memorial.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Mezuzah torn from Jewish couple’s home in Berlin, Germany

RIAS have reported that a mezuzah (a parchment of Jewish scripture fixed within a casing to door frames in Jewish homes) was torn off the entrance to a Jewish couple’s home in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany last week.

The couple live in an apartment that is set back from the street and is only accessible to other residents and visitors to the block.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Politics Ξ E-mail

Growing German far-right increasingly blaming immigration on Jews

Two days ago, The Jewish Press published an interview with an anonymous German peace activist, who warned that the growing far-right in Germany was increasingly “starting to blame its migrant population on the Jews.”

As recently reported, there is an emerging far-right conspiracy theory that terrorism and multiculturalism are ‘Zionist inventions’,  designed to destroy the supposed racial purity of Europe and encourage Jews to emigrate to Israel.

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung, “The political mood in our society is clearly drifting off to the right.”

Source: The Jewish Press

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Large-scale, antisemitic graffiti attack on cemetery in Germany still on display, three weeks later

Over forty graves at cemetery in Constance, Germany have been vandalised with graffiti. The desecration — which includes slogans sprayed onto gravestones such as “Jews to the gas” “I hate Germany” “Germany leave Syria” “Kill Christ” and “IS” — is still intact and in clear sight, three weeks on.

The cemetery’s management has said that some graves are listed, which has delayed their repair. The local Jewish community and other visitors to the cemetery, however, have expressed dismay at how the hateful messages continue to be left in clear sight.

A member of the local Jewish community, speaking to Südkurier, remarked that this is the worst antisemitic attack she has witnessed in the city in the forty years she has lived there. She added that she has frequently attempted to initiate discussions between local party and faith representatives, but that her efforts to encourage greater cohesion have been ignored.

Source: Südkurier

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Books Everyday Antisemitism Germany Ξ E-mail

Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf selling out across Germany

Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf is proving so popular in Germany since its re-release, demand is outstripping supply and it is virtually impossible to find a copy.

Mein Kampf lays out Hitler’s ideological program by identifying — in lengthy, semi-coherent passages — Jews as racially and ideologically inferior to ‘politically progressive’ and ‘racially superior’ Germany.

Mein Kampf was republished earlier this year for the first time since 1945, following the expiry of its copyright. By 8th January, the book’s publishers, the Institute for Contemporary History,  had received some 15,000 pre-orders. It is currently Germany’s second-best selling non-fiction book.

There is concern within some quarters that many of the orders are from neo-Nazi admirers of Hitler, not academics seeking to study the Holocaust.

Jewish leaders in Germany have recently reported that Jews feel increasingly unsafe in Germany, amidst rising antisemitism and hostility.

Sources: Times of IsraelWikipediaJerusalem Post

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Everyday Antisemitism London Newspaper Ξ E-mail

UK’s Daily Telegraph removes reference to Jewish financier as “Latter day Shylocks”

The Daily Telegraph has changed an article by Jeremy Warner which referred to Jewish financier Paul Singer and his hedge fund, Elliott Management, as “latter day Shylocks”. Warner’s article began by hailing a deal to reduce the amount of money owed by Argentina to Elliott Management, writing: “Latter day Shylocks at Elliott Management allowing, Argentina will soon have renewed access to international capital markets.” Warner went on to criticise the reluctance to reduce the debt owed by Argentina, writing that Argentina’s efforts to reduce the amount of debt it owed was “frequently obstructed by aggressively litigious hedgies such as Mr Singer demanding their pound of flesh.”

Source: Daily Telegraph

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Everyday Antisemitism Politics South West of England Twitter Ξ E-mail

Former British Labour MP links antisemitism to “brutal” Israelis

Former Labour MP for Derby North, Chris Williamson, has reacted to the exposure of rampant antisemitism at the Oxford University Labour Club by tweeting, “I hope they won’t find any such evidence. Did you see this [Channel 4] News item; brutal”. Williamson appears to both suggest that antisemitism had not been taking place at Oxford University Labour Club, despite numerous reports, not least from the Co-Chair who resigned in disgust at it, and that it is somehow linked to perceived “brutal” actions by Israel.

The most widely-accepted definition of antisemitism states that “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel” is antisemitic.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has asked the Labour Party to investigate Chris Williamson over his tweet.

Labour Students and the University of Oxford are now understood to be investigating the Oxford University Labour Club.

Source: Sussex Friends of Israel

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Education Everyday Antisemitism Politics South East of England Ξ E-mail

Rampant antisemitism exposed at Oxford University Labour Club

The Co-Chair of the Oxford University Labour Club, Alex Chalmers, has resigned after the club voted to embrace “Israel Apartheid Week”.

Chalmers wrote about his resignation in a hard-hitting Facebook post, saying: “Whether it be members of the Executive throwing around the term ‘Zio’ (a term for Jews usually confined to websites run by the Ku Klux Klan) with casual abandon, senior members of the club expressing their ‘solidarity’ with Hamas and explicitly defending their tactics of indiscriminately murdering civilians, or a former Co-Chair claiming that ‘most accusations of antisemitism are just the Zionists crying wolf’, a large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford more generally have some kind of problem with Jews. The decision of the club to endorse a movement with a history of targeting and harassing Jewish students and inviting antisemitic speakers to campuses, despite the concerns of Jewish students, illustrates how uneven and insincere much of the active membership is when it comes to liberation.”

Oxford University Labour Club is a member organisation of Labour Students, which said that they were “deeply troubled” and that they “unequivocally condemn any form of antisemitism”. Without offering any specifics, Labour Students promised to investigate and take action.

Since Chalmers announced his resignation, Oxford Jewish Society has published further allegations in a Facebook post of their own, shedding further light on the rampant antisemitism at the heart of the Labour Club.

According to Oxford Jewish Society:

  • Members of the Labour Club’s committee have been known to sing the song “Rockets over Tel Aviv” and have specifically expressed support for Hamas’ tactic of launching indiscriminate attacks against Israel’s Jewish citizens.
  • One Labour Club member stated specifically that it was “not antisemitic” to allege the existence of a “New York – Tel Aviv axis” that rigs elections, and said that “we should be aware of the influence wielded over elections by high net-worth Jewish individuals”. He also stated that it was “not antisemitic” to allege the existence of an international Jewish conspiracy, even though he did not endorse the idea himself.
  • One Labour Club committee member stated that all Jews should be expected to publicly denounce Zionism and the State of Israel, and that nobody should associate with any Jew who fails to do so.
  • Several individuals, some who have been on the Labour Club committee, repeatedly used the word “Zio” (a word normally only found on neo-Nazi websites) to refer to Jewish students.
  • Several Labour Club members have alleged that US foreign policy is under the control of the “Zionist Lobby” and when asked if by “Zionist” they simply meant “Jewish” they did not answer.
  • One member of the Labour Club was formally disciplined by their College for organising a group of students to harass a Jewish student and to shout “filthy Zionist” whenever they saw her.
  • In a public discussion on the Labour Club’s Facebook group, one member argued that Hamas was justified in its policy of killing Jewish civilians and claimed that all Jews were legitimate targets. Several other members, including two former Labour Club co-chairs and one then on committee, defended the member as making “a legitimate point clumsily expressed”.
  • Two Labour Club members argued that Jenny Tonge, a peer expelled from the Liberal Democrats over antisemitism, should be encouraged to join the Labour Party.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Jewish people should feel comfortable in any political party. Many of the pivotal figures in Labour have been Jewish, but we have also received increasing reports from Jewish Labour supporters who no longer feel welcome in their party. It has been more than three months since Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to an antisemitic outburst by Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman by voicing ‘deep concern’ and assuring us that he was ‘implacably opposed to racism’ before deciding to take no disciplinary action whatsoever against the MP. We call for the Labour Party and Oxford University to investigate this matter fully and take the strongest possible action to demonstrate to Jewish students that antisemitism will not continue to be tolerated. Where the law has been broken, this matter must be referred to the police; these students are supposed to be amongst our nation’s brightest and cannot be excused.”

https://twitter.com/JoeMiles94/status/699727568988196865

Source: Campaign Against Antisemitism

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Hate Mail Ξ E-mail

Continued campaign of antisemitic propaganda in Berlin, targeted at Jews and Israelis in their homes

RIAS have reported a sinister development in the campaign of antisemitic propaganda being distributed in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district since October of last year. New reports reveal that similar material has been targeted at Jews and Israelis directly in their homes in Berlin.

Since October, antisemitic propaganda material against “Jewish terror” and “potential attacks on Berlin’s citizens, streets and public libraries” has been attached to cars belonging to Jews and Israelis living in Charlottenburg. Police have advised that other cars were not affected and that this action appears to directly target Jews. In November, identical propaganda material was thrown onto Israelis’ balconies.

In December, the same material was found attached to a Jewish person’s car in Berlin’s Grunewald district, the first recording of such a targeting outside Charlottenburg.

One month later, another member of Charlottenburg’s Jewish community was targeted with material thrown on their balcony, which included a leaflet featuring the Anonymous logo. In the same month, identical leaflets were found attached to advertising displays, again in the Charlottenburg district.

At the end of January, again in Charlottenburg, new leaflets appeared, attached to traffic lights. These warned against “modern, Mossad dazzler attacks” and “TMS!”, possibly a reference to trans-cranial magnetic stimulation.

RIAS are appealing for further sightings and incidents to be reported immediately to www.report-antisemitism.de.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Facebook Netherlands Twitter Ξ E-mail

Dutch Deputy Prime Minister stops interacting on social media due to antisemitism

In a Facebook post entitled “Disrespectful dog”, Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher has admitted that he now stays off social media due to antisemitism.

Asscher’s great-grandfather, Abraham Asscher, was a member of the Jewish council set up by the Nazis to control Dutch Jews ahead of their extermination in death camps. Though he is not Jewish, Asscher said that “my Jewish last name is a plausible explanation for my behaviour and attitude”.

Asscher said: “I often no longer react to people who approach me on social media,” suggesting that social media users show their posts to their mothers or daughters first, saying: “If they also think it’s a good idea, go ahead and post.”

Source: Times of Israel

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Books Croatia Everyday Antisemitism Politics Ξ E-mail

Croatia’s new Culture Minister denies Holocaust in his book

It has emerged that Croatia’s newly-appointed Culture Minister, Zlatko Hasanbegović, a member of the far-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), has written a book denying the murder of Jews by Croatia’s pro-Nazi regime.

The book denies the murder of 32,000 Jews by the Ustasha of the Independent State of Croatia. Hasanbegović has reportedly promoted the book on several neo-Nazi and White Supremacist websites.

There have been calls from around the world for Hasanbegović to resign.

Source: Arutz Sheva

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Education Everyday Antisemitism Posters Sweden Ξ E-mail

Holocaust denial flyers distributed outside Swedish school on Holocaust Remembrance Day

Outside a public high school in Hudiksvall, Sweden, Holocaust denial flyers were handed out for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Source: CFCA

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Everyday Antisemitism London Transportation Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Jewish man and girlfriend called “F***ing Jews” and murderers on London Underground

A 23-year-old Jewish man and his girlfriend have reportedly been subjected to antisemitic abuse from a fellow passenger on the London Underground. The victims were allegedly called “F***ing Jews” by the aggressor, who was described as Muslim, and told that they and their “people” were killing “my people”. Other passengers in the carriage apparently studiously ignored the incident, which is now being investigated by the police.

Source: Telegraph

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Austria Everyday Antisemitism Judicial Process Ξ E-mail

Austrian state prosecutor rules it is “plausible” that Holocaust survivors constituted a “plague” on residents near concentration camps

The prosecution service for the city of Graz, Austria has made a statement that far-right magazine Die Aula was justified in describing liberated prisoners from the Mauthausen Nazi concentration camp as a “plague”.

Over the summer, Die Aula wrote, “The fact that a non-negligible portion of freed prisoners became a plague on people is deemed by the judiciary to have been proven and is only disputed today by concentration camp fetishists.”

Mauthausen was one of the largest slave camp complexes in the German-controlled areas of Europe, with four main sub-camps at Mauthausen and nearby Gusen, and nearly 100 other sub-camps located throughout Austria and southern Germany. The death toll remains unknown, although most sources place it between 122,766 and 320,000 for the entire complex.

Prosecution services initiated legal proceedings against Die Aula on grounds of Holocaust denial and inciting hatred but later dropped the charges. In their statement on the decision, they wrote “It is plausible that the release of several thousand people from the Mauthausen concentration camp presented a burden to the affected areas of Austria.”

Last week, Graz was the location of an act of vandalism against a Holocaust memorial.

Sources: ReutersWikipedia

 

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Everyday Antisemitism London Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Speaker at London’s Speakers’ Corner denounces passing “Dirty Jews”

A speaker at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park has been caught on video ferociously and brazenly denouncing Jews.

Claiming to be against all religion, on the two occasions caught on video, the speaker issued a non-stop tirade against Jews, shouting at any identifiably-Jewish person who passed.

To one orthodox Jewish man he said: “You’re a very f***ing dirty Jew. Don’t take it personally, take it to hell,” continuing to passersby, “His cock has been brutalised by a rabbi paedophile who cut his foreskin off. That’s how f***ed up the Jews are.”

He told another orthodox Jewish male who was passing: “Look at the Nazi Jew and see him for what he is…Your time is coming as it did in my father’s country, Deutschland…Why do you think our ancestors kicked you out of Deutschland? You learn nothing, you smug, fat Jew. Smug, fat, bearded Jew! Scum!”

The speaker referred to Jews as “Twelve tribes of head-banging schizophrenics praying to a wailing wall.” He also repeatedly claimed that Jews were Nazis as well as being their victims, for example: “They started Nazi Germany, and they got it back, Adolf Hitler style.”

As Joseph Cohen recorded him, the speaker shouted: “The day the Jew becomes a human being will be the day the Jew becomes free of the s*** of Judaism! Simple. Record it and tell your f***ing rabbi to stop molesting boys.”

No police action appears to have been taken and we are helping one victim to make a criminal complaint.

Most disturbing was that the video showed not a single member of the public remonstrating with the speaker. On the contrary, one man approached him and shook him by the hand, and a woman was recorded defending the speaker, saying: “What the Jews are doing to Gaza, to the Arabs, I think it’s a nightmare…This does not mean I don’t have friends that are Jews.”

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Contrary to common perception, Speakers’ Corner is covered by no special laws and incitement to racial and religious hatred by a bigot standing on a ladder at Speakers’ Corner is just as illegal as it would be anywhere else. Speakers’ Corner is famous for freedom of speech, but that threatening and illegal hate speech is not permitted anywhere in our country. While we are for freedom of speech we do not believe that anyone has the absolute right to abuse freedom of speech to threaten and intimidate minorities. The law agrees with us. We are keen to identify the speaker in the video. If you can help, please contact [email protected].”

Source: Israel Advocacy Movement

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Education Everyday Antisemitism Netherlands Ξ E-mail

Dutch pupil tells teacher: “I’d gun down all the Jews”

Teachers in Dutch schools feel powerless to counter violently antisemitic attitudes among their students, according to a new report commissioned by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education.

Entitled “Two Worlds, Two Realities – How Do You Deal with It as a Teacher?”, the 55-page document has been created by Dutch-Jewish journalist Margalith Kleijwegt based on her visits to schools across the country and interviews with teachers since last January.

The report found strongly antisemitic views to be especially prevalent among Muslim students, with cited evidence including an incident at a high school in Amsterdam. A female teacher there told Kleijwegt how a female student of Moroccan descent stood up and said: “If I had a Kalashnikov [assault rifle], I’d gun down all the Jews.”

The teacher is quoted as saying: “I wasn’t getting there. I asked her to imagine a 5-year-old Jewish girl who lives here. What would she have to do with Israel’s policies? Unfortunately, there was no place for empathy. The pupil didn’t care about that girl. She had only one message: The Jews should die.”

Kleijwegt concluded: “Anti-Semitic behaviour is a recurrent problem in some schools. Some see it as a provocation [by pupils], others fear it goes deeper: That pupils receive anti-Jewish attitudes at home.”

Dutch Education Minister Jet Bussemaker commented that the report “shows a reality that is inconvenient and sometimes painful” but which must be addressed “in accordance to democratic values”.

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Everyday Antisemitism Greece Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Neo-Nazis deface Greece’s third-largest city with “Juden Raus” and pose executing Nazi salutes

Neo-Nazis in Greece’s third-largest city, Patras, have posed executing Nazi salutes alongside newly-painted neo-Nazi graffiti. One slogan read “Juden Raus”, German for “Jews Out”. The group are from AME (Unaligned Meander Nationalists), which has claimed responsibility for the vandalism of numerous Jewish monuments and cemeteries, according to Greek antisemitism monitoring service Ενάντια στον αντισημιτισμό.

Source: Ενάντια στον αντισημιτισμό

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Everyday Antisemitism Italy Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Swastika and Star of David mural sprayed on supermarket in Rome

A supermarket in Rome has been defaced with a mural depicting a swastika and Star of David. The graffiti was discovered in the Ostia district of Rome.

Source: Osservatorio Antisemitismo

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Everyday Antisemitism Posters Sweden Ξ E-mail

Swedish neo-Nazis drape “Holocaust is a hoax” banner over motorway

Neo-Nazis in Sweden have draped a huge “Holocaust is a hoax” banner over a motorway and illuminated it with flares. The facist group Motståndsrörelsen erected the temporary sign over one of Sweden’s busiest roads.

Source: CFCA

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Employment Discrimination Everyday Antisemitism Germany Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Manager fails to tackle Holocaust-relativising antisemitism in Berlin, Germany

RIAS have reported an antisemitic incident that occurred at a workplace in Berlin-Mitte, Germany at the end of last year.

The victim was subjected to repeated claims by a colleague that Israel’s conduct in Gaza was equivalent to the Holocaust. When the person objected, the colleague in question began question the person’s “Jewish background”. When it emerged there was none, the colleague changed tack, accusing the affected person of being an “Islamophobe” and “anti-Islamic”.

Their manager requested that “political discussions” not be held in the workplace and granted the victim’s request to work in a different office. Under the EUMC working definition of antisemitism, “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is explicitly antisemitic. As RIAS point out in their report, the manager failed to recognise antisemitism and respond accordingly.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Jewish retirement home defaced with Nazi grafitti in Germany

A Jewish retirement home in the Bornheim neighbourhood of Frankfurt, Germany, was vandalised on Thursday night. The outside walls were daubed with swastikas and SS symbols. Police are appealing for witnesses.

Frankfurt was particularly badly hit by antisemitic graffiti over the summer of 2014, when hatred against Jews found a respectable outlet under the guise of protesting Israel’s defensive military action against attacks from Gaza. Over this period, a synagogue and Anne Frank learning centre in Frankfurt were both desecrated and a Jewish family’s home was sprayed with “Jews out!” messages.

https://twitter.com/Freddy2805/status/695653166533234691

Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

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Austria Everyday Antisemitism Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Further reports of vandalism against ‘Stolperstein’ Holocaust memorials in Austria

‘Stolperstein’ Holocaust memorials in Graz, Austria, have been vandalised. Police believe the memorials were desecrated with acid or abrasive paint. The matter is now under investigation.

This is the fourth report of vandalised Stolpersteine over the last five months, bringing the total of defaced or stolen Stolpersteine to 42 since October.

The incident in Austria also appears not to be a one-off. Stolpersteine were similarly attacked with an acidic substance in February and March of last year.

Hanno Wisiak, the deputy mayor of Graz, remarked that the political climate there was becoming toxic and the presence of the far-right threatening.

Source: CFCA/Steiermark

 

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Everyday Antisemitism Facebook Germany Politics Ξ E-mail

German far-right candidate promotes slew of antisemitic conspiracy myths

A board member of the German, right-wing, populist party AfD (Alternative for Germanyhas been exposed as sharing antisemitic propaganda for several years over Facebook. 

Peter Schmalenbach, who sits on the party’s board in Neuwied, is the AfD candidate for state election later this year, but it has emerged that he shared conspiracy theories and antisemitic memes which include:

  • A status update from January of this year, where Schmalenbach writes, “Merkel will not back down [on immigration]. She was put into power by the occupiers, with help from the media and continues to be supported and propped up by that mischpoke today. That bunch have their own rules and regulations and do not abide by German law.” Mischpoke is a Yiddish word, meaning family or group of people, and is rarely used in Germany today.
  • A fabricated quotation by Henry Kissinger, credited as a “Zionist and former US foreign secretary”, stating, “We shall destroy the White race with multiculturalism, as they are too intelligent and therefore a threat to us.”
  • A cartoon suggesting Islamic terrorism is under the covert control of the USA and Jews. This is presumably a promotion of the emerging far-right conspiracy theory that terrorism is an American and Jewish invention designed to encourage Jews to emigrate to Israel and drive Muslims into Europe, thus destroying the supposed racial purity of the continent.
  • An image suggesting Barack Obama’s swearing in as US president, was an in-joke to a slew of prominent politicians and former presidents, all under the control of Israel.

Source: Friedensdemo-Watch

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Everyday Antisemitism Verbal Abuse Yorkshire and the Humber Ξ E-mail

Ex-BNP thug pleads guilty to directing antisemitic abuse at MP

A former BNP regional organiser has pleaded guilty to making an antisemitic verbal attack against his MP, Labour’s Shadow Communities Secretary, Jon Trickett.

Darren Mark Lumb, who has previous links to the English Defence League and National Front, was accused of accosting the MP for Hemsworth in West Yorkshire in the street on 23rd January 2015 and launching into an antisemitic rant.

During the trial last Thursday at Leeds Crown Court, Lumb, who is 47 and lives in South Elmsall, changed his plea to guilty to one count of religiously aggravated harassment and stalking with fear of violence, and one count of breaching an Antisocial Behaviour Order.

He was bailed on the condition that he did not approach the MP or his staff, and will return to court on 3rd March for sentencing.

A friend of Trickett’s said the MP had been left shocked and shaken by the incident and that “he hasn’t experienced rage like it in his life”.

Lumb has previous convictions for assault and disorder, and in 2011 was found guilty of using racially aggravated threatening or insulting words and behaviour after he reportedly called a petrol station worker “a black bastard”.

He stood as a BNP candidate for South Elmsall and South Kirkby in the Wakefield Metropolitan district council election in 2011.
Mr Trickett, who has been MP for Hemsworth since 1996, was former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s parliamentary private secretary for two years and was then promoted to the shadow cabinet by Ed Miliband. He was one of 36 MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership election.
Source: The Guardian
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Everyday Antisemitism London Retail Sports Ξ E-mail

Chelsea FC vows action against “He’s one of your own” t-shirts depicting non-Jewish Tottenham player as a Chasid

Chelsea Football Club and Hammersmith & Fulham Council have vowed to take action against unofficial vendors selling an antisemitic t-shirt. The t-shirts depict non-Jewish footballer Harry Kane, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, dressed in Chasidic garb, with the slogan “He’s one of your own”. The reference is apparently to Tottenham Hotspur’s large number of Jewish fans.

The t-shirts were first discovered being sold outside Stamford Bridge on Sunday before and after Chelsea’s home game against Manchester United. Unfortunately, Tottenham Hotspur fans are regularly subjected to antisemitic slurs at football matches, including chanting by opposing teams. However Tottenham Hotspur’s own fans often do not help this by calling themselves the “Yid army”. Yid is an extremely derogatory term for a Jew.

A Hammersmith & Fulham Council spokesperson said: “We will not tolerate the sale of offensive and antisemitic merchandise on the streets of our borough. Trading Standards officers will continue their work, with the support of the club and their fans, to stop the sale of these deeply unpleasant t-shirts.”

Chelsea Football Club will also reportedly send representatives to check stalls surrounding Stamford Bridge before and after matches.

https://twitter.com/101greatgoals/status/696952177890295808/photo/1

Sources: The Telegraph and The Evening Standard
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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Television Ξ E-mail

Synagogues “not part of Germany” a popular response in German video surveying members of the public

German television network Norddeutscher Rundfunk, a Hamburg-based public radio and television broadcaster. has released a video in which German members of the public were asked to decide, from a selection, which subjects “belonged” to Germany and which did not.

The four-minute video shows people selecting between images. Austrian composer Mozart, American automobile firm Opel, the French-German consortium Airbus and sushi are popularly selected as belonging to Germany. People display ambivalence around the Qu’ran, headscarves and mosques. Synagogues are repeatedly selected as not belonging, with one person adding that she was “not in the mood to discuss why”.

Source: NDR.de

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Belgium Everyday Antisemitism Vandalism Ξ E-mail

“We are Eichmann” found sprayed on wall of Brussels arts college

Graffiti on the wall of a Brussels arts college, École Supérieure des Arts has been found saying “We are Eichmann!”

https://twitter.com/jsPhilippart/status/689796265203404801

Source: CFCA/New Antisemite/Twitter

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Everyday Antisemitism Italy Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Swastika found on the wall of the Marconi institute in Sanremo, Italy

A swastika has been found painted on the wall of the Marconi institute in Sanremo, Italy.

Source: Osservatorio Antisemitismo

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Hate Mail Posters Ξ E-mail

Carefully laminated leaflets found in Frankfurt decrying ‘Jewish bankers’

Leaflets have been found in Frankfurt decrying supposed Jewish financial dominance, a classic antisemitic trope which alleges that Jews exercise malevolent power over the rest of the population by controlling the country’s finances.

Source: CFCA/New Antisemite/Twitter

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Everyday Antisemitism Facebook Germany Ξ E-mail

“Jews are infidels and must be killed in a humane manner” not hate speech, according to Facebook

German politician Ismail Tipi shared a screenshot on Wednesday, showing Facebook’s woefully inadequate response to his flagging of another user’s antisemitic, genocidal hate speech.

Tipi flagged a status update by a Facebook user that stated in German: “Jews are infidels and, if needs be, must be killed in a humane manner. Regrettably, they shall spend the afterlife in the depths of hell. The same applies to Christians and members of all faiths except Islam.”

Tipi flagged the status update as containing hate speech. He received a response from Facebook advising the content did not violate their community standards.

Source: Ismail Tipi

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Everyday Antisemitism London Politics Ξ E-mail

UK Labour group cancels event to have been chaired by “Jewish lobby” journalist

Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East has reportedly cancelled an event due to be chaired by Abdel Bari Atwan, who has allegedly made antisemitic comments in the past about Israel and “the Jewish lobby”.

Joan Ryan MP, who had campaigned to stop the event told Jewish News: “We welcome LFPME’s recognition of the legitimate concerns about Mr Atwan’s inclusion in this event.”

In 2007, Atwan is reported to have said: “If Iranian missiles strike Israel, by Allah, I will go to Trafalgar Square and dance with delight.” In 2010, it is claimed that Atwan told an audience at the London School of Economics that “the Jewish lobby… [is] endangering the whole world”.

Source: Jewish News

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Education Everyday Antisemitism South East of England Ξ E-mail

Ha’aretz correspondent allegedly tells UK students “Elders of Zion” planned “colonisation”

Israeli journalist Amira Hass has reportedly told students at the University of Kent that the “Elders of Zion” planned “colonial” hegemony over Palestinians. Blogger David Collier attended a conference entitled “Israel and the Palestinians: Colonialism and Prospects for Justice” which was a joint event by University of Kent and the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Hass is married to a Palestinian and has lived in Ramallah since 1997. She is well known for her uncompromising attacks on Israel.

Writing in his blog, Collier recalled: “I tried to make sense of what I was hearing. Hass was discussing a hidden agenda, a secret group of Jews, plotting and planning beyond the reach of Israeli democracy – by extension, this secret group were to blame for the ‘war crimes’, for the death of innocent Palestinian children. Hass was spinning tales of a Jewish cabal, of shady secretive control, of unworldly plots and sinister deeds. A road that leads to dead children. Hass was resurrecting a classic historic antisemitic blood libel in a British university.”

He then quotes Hass as saying: “And I ask myself did the Elders of Zion really sit together at the beginning of the seventies and then during the nineties, and plan, and have all these military orders, all these changes?”

The “Elders of Zion” refers to a fictitious Jewish cabal that supposedly controls world affairs to the detriment of mankind and forms the basis for most antisemitic conspiracy myths.

Source: David Collier

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Highly aggressive gang reported on Berlin underground, making threats against “all Israelis”

RIAS have reported a gang traveling the Berlin underground on the evening of 15th January, making loud, aggressive, murderous declarations about “all Israelis”.

The person reporting the incident encountered the gang at Tempelhof underground and overground station. They remarked that the gang was so loud and aggressive, being in the vicinity felt physically threatening.

The gang continued their tirade against the people of Israel at volume, shouting, “I f*** Israel,” and “I f*** every Israeli.” One added, “I’ll push them onto the tracks.”

Increasingly, “Israeli” or “Zionist” is being substituted for “Jew” in violent attacks.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Italy Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Bright red swastika painted on mediaeval tower in square in Rome

A swastika has been found painted in red on a mediaeval tower in Piazza San Martino ai Monti in Rome, Italy.

Source: Osservatorio Antisemitismo

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Everyday Antisemitism Italy Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Antisemitic football slogan found sprayed on a wall in Genoa, Italy

An antisemitic football slogan has been found in the Albaro neighbourhood of Genoa, Italy. The graffiti says “Doriano ebreo” (“Dorian Jew”), referring to fans of the football team of Genoa.

Source: CFCA/Osservatorio Antisemitismo

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Vandalism Ξ E-mail

35 Holocaust memorials vandalised overnight in Berlin, Germany

RIAS have reported that 35 “Stolperstein” Holocaust memorials were vandalised in the Friedenau district of Berlin, Germany on Tuesday night.

Stolpersteine (“stumbling blocks”) are small, cobblestone-sized, brass memorials created to commemorate victims of Nazi oppression. Stolpersteine are usually installed into the ground around the area a victim lived or worked and usually include details such as the victim’s name and dates of birth, deportation and murder.

The 35 Stolpersteine in Friedenau were vandalised with grey, aerosol paint. According to RIAS, Stolpersteine in the area have been regularly desecrated over recent years. Petra Fritsche, who runs the Stolpersteine initiative in Friedenau, regularly receives threats.

On the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht last year, a Stolperstein was stolen from the neighbouring district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.  A similar act of vandalism was carried out in Dresden, Germany, the month before.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

 

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Protests Ξ E-mail

Antisemitic banner at anti-immigration demonstration in Germany

Protesters reportedly displayed antisemitic signs at an anti-immigration demonstration by the right-wing populist party, AfD (Alternative for Germany) in Erfurt, Germany, two weeks ago.

A banner at the demonstration, featured Stars of David and the message: “Angela Muss Weg” (“Angela [Merkel] must go”). The demonstration was the party’s ninth in Erfurt over the past six months. Regional spokesman Björn Höcke addressed the 2000-strong crowd, stating that Angela Merkel is an “evil woman” and that the “multi-cultural revolution will be the end of the German people”.

An emerging conspiracy theory amongst the far-right in Germany is that Angela Merkel is a mentally-ill, covert Jew, seeking to plunge Germany into ruin.

Sources: Blick Nach Rechts, Twitter

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Everyday Antisemitism Palestinian Controlled Areas Television Turkey Ξ E-mail

Palestinian writer claims Israel buys ISIS slaves and converts them to Judaism

A Gaza-based journalist has accused Israel of buying slave-girls from ISIS and converting them to Judaism, as well as exploiting terrorist incidents and natural disasters, during an antisemitic rant on Turkish television.

Tawfiq Abu Shomar made the accusations on 15th January in an appearance on the TRT Arabic channel, claiming that Israel does so in order to strengthen its Jewish population.

He said: “For a long time Israel has been striving to bring over the Jews, especially from Europe. They especially want the Jews of France, because they consitute the largest comunity, numbering half a million. My warning should be viewed in context. Israel attracts the (Jewish) immigrants, that’s true, but it also takes advantage of the circumstances in order to bring them.

“This is the main point. It uses natural circumstances, even earthquakes. During the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Israel brought over a large number of Haitians, and had them converted to Judaism. Many such children live (in Israel).

“Israel has benefited not only from France, but also from Iraq. It has brought over Yazidis. A large number of Yazidis are now being converted to Judaism and absorbed there. In addition to the ruling Jewish authorities, there are organisations abroad that buy slavegirls on the ISIS market and take them to Israel.”

Abu Shomar is described as a writer and political analyst, and is head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s cultural department.

Source: MEMRI

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Everyday Antisemitism London Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Graffiti in London says “Holocaust is a lie” and attempts to blame bankers

A Jewish man from London sent in the following report:

I was walking home the usual way through from grotty Acton to peaceful Turnham Green and its station, when I saw graffiti on a wall of the alleyway — the main walking route between the two areas. It reads: “Goyim, the Holocaust is a lie. Google bankers the fact”.

Goyim means non-Jew or gentile in Yiddish, but it has been usurped by neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers as a means of demonstrating Jewish ‘otherness’, and is frequently used to suggest that Jews have a derogatory view of non-Jews.

The reference to bankers appears to be a badly written attempt to exhort passersby to search for “Bankers: the facts” on the internet. Jews are often accused by antisemites and neo-Nazis of exercising supposed financial dominance to hide ‘evidence’ of a Jewish conspiracy, such as a conspiracy to exaggerate or invent the Holocaust.

Source: Reported to Everyday Antisemitism

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Everyday Antisemitism London Violence Ξ E-mail

14-year-old detained by London Shomrim and arrested by police for attacking Jews with fireworks

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in Hackney after a group of youths attempted to place lit fireworks in the pockets of Jewish pedestrians. Volunteers from Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, arrived almost immediately and witnessed the boy chasing one victim and hurling a lit firework towards him. The Shomrim volunteer chased and detained the boy, then called the police who arrested him.

The Metropolitan Police Service said: “A 14-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault and possession of a firework in the street. He was taken to a north London police station and subsequently released on police bail to a date in early March. No one was injured during the incident.”

Source: Shomrim

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Other Social Media Ξ E-mail

Jewish woman harassed by German man on OkCupid to declare position on Israel

RIAS have reported that a Berlin-based, Jewish woman was harassed on the dating site OkCupid to declare her “political position” on Israel when arranging a date.

The website asks users to respond to various questions to identify good matches. The Jewish woman’s details reportedly stated that she was Jewish, and in the multiple choice answers, she had selected “Jewish and it’s important”. The stranger demanded to know if that referred to “a political position”, adding that he does not support Israel and meeting would be pointless unless she accepts that. The man reportedly also felt uncomfortable that the woman mentioned she is bilingual, which he took as a sign of dual loyalty.

The woman broke off contact after complaining to him that he had demonstrated an obsessive preoccupation with Israel and demanded that she take a political position simply because she is Jewish.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Greece Military Ξ E-mail

New Greek aerospace Vice President previously published article claiming “Jewish people want to undermine the world”

Hellenic Aerospace Industry has appointed Babis Papaspyros as its Vice President. In 2010, Papaspyros reblogged a far-right blog entitled “How Jewish people want to undermine the world via multiculturalism”. The article suggested that the Jews have acquired the power to kill “thousands of Palestinians” while they remain unpunished and accuse “their enemies” of antisemitism. At the end of the blog post was a video by notorious antisemitic conspiracy theorist David Duke. Papaspyros is close to Greece’s Minister of Defense, Panos Kammenos and is reported to have been appointed to his new role by Greece’s Finance Minister.

Source: Ενάντια στον αντισημιτισμό

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Websites Ξ E-mail

Germany shuts down far-right website promoting antisemitism, Nazism and Holocaust denial

Germany has banned a far-right website, Altermedia Deutschland, reported to promote material of a “racist, xenophobic, homophobic, antisemitic and anti-Islamic” nature.

Raids were carried out on homes in four German states and a town in Spain. Two German people have been arrested on suspicion of incitement and founding a criminal organisation.

Material promoted by the site included Nazi slogans, Holocaust denial and incitement of violence towards foreigners.

The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence, Hans-Georg Maassen, told reporters, “There is the danger of a grey zone developing between far-right extremists, right-wing conservatives and citizen protesters with significant potential for violence.”

Source: Mail on Sunday

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Jewish cemetery in Germany vandalised on Holocaust Memorial Day

A Jewish cemetery in Kröpelin, Germany, was vandalised on Holocaust Memorial Day. Six gravestones were torn out. Police are appealing for witnesses.

Similar acts of vandalism were perpetrated at the same cemetery in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In past attacks, gravestones were desecrated with far-right graffiti, including images of swastikas. The perpetrators were never caught.

Source: Neues Deutschland

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Everyday Antisemitism London Transportation Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Man and child on London bus insult “F***ing Jews…Disgusting Jews” whilst making throat-slitting gesture

A woman has reported that she was the victim of antisemitic abuse on a London bus as it travelled through Golders Green. A group of young Jewish people have told Jewish News that they were confronted by a man with a child, as they left the bus at their stop. The victim told the paper: “We were at the back on the top deck not showing any signs of disruptive behaviour. When we arrived at our stop, we walked down the stairs when I heard a man mutter ‘These f***ing Jews’. I asked him why he thought what he was saying was necessary. He looked directly at me with no response but told his son that we are ‘disgusting Jews’. At this point the rest of the group I was traveling with got off the bus but three of us remained.”

The witness added that the man and the boy later “placed their fingers across their throats while smiling at us” as she and her companions walked away from the bus.

A Police spokesperson told Jewish News: “Detectives in Barnet are investigating an allegation of antisemitic abuse. The incident is said to have taken place on a route 102 bus near Golders Green station. At about 22.30, a man who was with a young child, subjected three victims, in their early 20s to anti-Semitic abuse. The investigation is ongoing and officers are working with Transport for London to obtain any CCTV that is available. The suspect is described as a man of Middle Eastern appearance, approximately 5 foot 8 with slight stubble. Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101, or to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Source: Jewish News

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Everyday Antisemitism Incitement North East of England Paramilitary Organisation Posters Violence Ξ E-mail

Just before Holocaust Memorial Day, Nazis parade “Hitler was right” banner in centre of Newcastle

A group of neo-Nazis from “National Action” paraded in the centre of Newcastle at the foot of Grey’s Monument with a “Hitler was right” banner on Saturday. Members of the group performed Nazi salutes in the centre of the square. Some local people remonstrated with them but at least one onlooker returned their Nazi salute (see photo below). When a musician in the square attempted to play saxophone music, one of the neo-Nazis violently attacked him. In addition to the assault, the use of the banner and Nazi salutes constitute offences of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm and distress under section 4A of the Public Order Act, as well as other possible offences.

The group previously attempted to demonstrate in Liverpool in August and September 2015, causing widespread public disorder and the cancellation of their demonstrations, with the group humiliated in August when they were unable to leave Liverpool Central train station. They then returned unannounced in November 2015 and delivered short speeches outside various public buildings and monuments in Liverpool, including speeches against Jews saying that: “Jews don’t care about me. They don’t care about you. They don’t care about any of us. All they care about is money and power.” Their video of the event contained additional antisemitic graphics and quoted from Adolf Hitler’s antisemitic diatribe, Mein Kampf. There have been no arrests.

In June 2015, “National Action” filmed themselves desecrating a menorah in Birmingham’s Cannon Hill Park by spraying graffiti and hanging a Nazi flag from it. There have been no arrests.

National Action’s blog contains 282 references to the word “Jew”, including accusations that Jews:

  • Use the blood of non-Jews in rituals
  • Usurp power through financial and political conspiracies
  • “Terrorise” the non-Jewish population through usury
  • Dilute Aryan races by operating the slave trade, then campaigning for civil rights in order to weaken Aryan races

Jonathan Sacerdoti, Director of Communication at Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is very clear that ‘National Action’ is an antisemitic neo-Nazi organisation which is trying to propagate fascist ideology and sees as its role models some of the most hideous figures in history. The group’s purpose is incitement to racial and religious hatred and its activities range from vandalism to violence. Unfurling a banner proclaiming ‘Hitler was right’ and performing Nazi salutes for less than ten minutes in a public square is cowardly and a deliberate effort to provoke disorder. This group is not a dying vestige of British neo-Nazism but a new, young movement and we are pleased that Northumbria Police are taking this incident so seriously. Enough is enough and this brazenly criminal group must be brought to justice. That young British people are openly idolising Adolf Hitler in Britain in the days before Holocaust Memorial Day is a reminder that for us to say ‘Never again’ with any confidence, we must be vigilant and fight antisemitic racism ruthlessly.”

A spokesman for Northumbria Police told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “Northumbria Police is carrying out enquiries into the protest that was held at Monument in Newcastle City centre at 1:55pm on Saturday, January 23. We had no prior warning that the protest was due to take place and city centre officers attended immediately after receiving information that it was happening. Upon officers’ arrival the demonstration had ended and we believe it lasted less than 10 minutes. We have received one report of assault and we are in the process of investigating this along with looking into whether any other offences may have taken place. Detectives are checking CCTV footage from the city centre area and material posted on social media and enquiries are ongoing.”

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German national radio claims Hamas “cannot be antisemitic”

Deutschlandfunk, part of Deutschlandradio, Germany’s national, public broadcasting institution, published an article yesterday stating that Hamas (which has a decisive majority in the Palestinian Authority legislature) was “almost” antisemtic.

Hamas’ charter calls for the destruction of Jews and is therefore genocidal in its antisemitism, stating: “Hamas has been looking forward to implement Allah’s promise whatever time it might take. The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said:The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!”

Following a public outcry, Deutschlandfunk published a ‘clarification’ on their Facebook page, where they stated that the use of the term “antisemitism” to describe Jew-hatred is not representative of its original use. They go on to remark, “Arabs themselves are Semites and therefore can hardly be antisemitic themselves. This includes Hamas. But many Arabs, including Hamas supporters, do not refer to ‘the Israelis’ but rather ‘the Jews’ (Al Yehud), as it was Jews who came to Palestine as Zionists [sic]…Thus Arab delegitimisation and contempt towards Israelis is linguistically ‘almost’ identical to the Nazis’ antisemitism. But only ‘almost’. We apologise that this has lead to misunderstandings.”

Muddying Jew-hatred, by disingenuously claiming the term “antisemitism” must refer to opposition to those from the Semitic region, is a long-established method of denying Jews the ability to voice opposition to those who are persecuting them.

Sources: DeutschlandfunkWikipedia, Article Seven of the Hamas Charter

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Everyday Antisemitism France Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Message carved on lift in French housing project appears to target Jews for jihadi terrorism

Residents of a housing project in Joinville-le-Pont have reported an “intolerable” message carved into a lift door with a sharp object. On one door is a swastika and the word “Nazis” and on the other is a Star of David and the word “Jihad”.

Source: CFCA/New Antisemite/94 Citoyens

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Everyday Antisemitism London Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Police open investigation into swastikas found in residential London neighbourhood

The Metropolitan Police Service has opened an investigation after two swastikas were daubed on a wall in Kentish Town, London. Police went to the scene before the swastikas were cleaned off. A police spokesperson told Jewish News: “Attending officers found offensive graffiti drawn onto a wall of the building and informed the local authority who removed it. No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing.”

Conservative councillor for Housing and Community Safety, Oliver Cooper, reported the graffiti to the police. He said: “This appalling incident is only the latest in a sad escalation of hate crimes and hate speech: whether it’s graffiti swastikas, or hatred on social media. It’s important that everyone tackles this head-on. I will be asking Camden Council what’s being done to reverse this rising tide of hate locally, and make sure we keep the community safe.”

Source: Jewish News

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German newspaper posts video showing reaction to Jewish visitor to migrant centre in Berlin, Germany

A video showing a Jewish man’s experience in a migrant center in Berlin was released yesterday by German newspaper Die Welt.

The man, who has experienced several antisemitic attacks within the last six months in Germany, encountered varying reactions within the center. While some expressed a wish for peace in Europe and empathy with Jews as another minority group, others were more hateful. One woman turned away in disgust on hearing he was Israeli. A boy said that all Jews should leave the Middle-East. The Jewish man also told the Jerusalem Post that he heard a group of men whispering “Jew” on seeing him but, when he confronted them, they assured him that he was mistaken.

There were also several instances of prominent, antisemitic graffiti found on the walls of the center: a swastika, a Star of David with the number 666 written below it, and an image of Israel entirely covered in the Palestinian Authority flag.

Having ignored warnings for months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that “Antisemitism is more widespread than we imagined. And that is why we must act intensively against it,” adding, “We must focus our efforts particularly among young people from countries where hatred of Israel and Jews is widespread.” In addition to antisemitism emanating from recent arrivals to Germany, there has been a marked increase in incidents in the country.

Source: Die Welt

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Anti-refugee flyers placed inside Berlin memorial to child refugees of WW2

RIAS report that a collection of publicity fliers for the right-wing, anti-refugee group “Bürgerbewegung Pro Deutschland” (Civic Initiative for Germany) were placed within the Refugee Children Movement memorial in the Friedrichstraße area of Berlin.

The memorial commemorates the rescue effort that took place during the nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, when the United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Free City of Danzig.

The flyers were placed inside an open suitcase represented in the sculpture. In December, flyers from “B.Ä.R.G.I.D.A”, the Berlin branch of Pegida, were also found there.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

 

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UK journalist forces antisemite to disembark from train for claiming “ISIS was created by the Jews”

British journalist James Bloodworth has posted on Facebook that he forced a man to disembark from a train after he made antisemitic comments. Bloodworth said that he had an altercation with the man after he refused to remove his bags from Bloodworth’s seat at the start of the journey. After he had eventually agreed to remove the bags, Bloodworth took his seat and settled down to read is book, ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror. His fellow passenger asked what Bloodworth was reading, to which he replied that it is a book about ISIS. The man replied: “You mean the Israeli intelligence services.” Bloodworth said he ignored the comment until the man pressed: “You do know that ISIS was created by the Jews? Who is the book by?” When Bloodworth told him that the book was by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, the man allegedly responded “Weiss is a Jewish name.” Bloodworth says he then asked the man to stop talking to him, but the man insisted, claiming that “No Jews died in the Holocaust. It’s a hoax. The gas chambers and all that. You’re just uninformed.” Bloodworth said he kept repeating the point and when he used the word “Sheeple,” Bloodworth lost his temper, telling the man that he would forcibly eject him at the next stop. According to Bloodworth’s account, he allowed the man to gather his belongings before marching him to the door, saying: “You’re getting off this f***ing train” to a small round of applause from fellow passengers.

Bloodworth ended his Facebook post saying: “I’m a nice guy who’s kind to animals, children and my grandmother. But don’t slander the Jews in the quiet coach.”

Source: Harry’s Place

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Youth branch of the Swiss Socialist Democrat party publishes antisemitic cartoon

Reports have emerged of an antisemitic cartoon published by JUSO (Young Socialists of Switzerland), a youth branch of the Socialist Democrat Party of Switzerland.

The cartoon, published on the organisation’s Facebook page, shows Johann Schneider-Ammann, the Swiss president and minister of commerce, being forced to feed a stereotypical Shylock character, complete with locks, Orthodox Jewish dress and large, protruding nose. The president is saying “And one for the international financial lobby!” as he feeds the Shylock figure, while a small child goes ignored and hungry. The cartoon is entitled “The federal council [Swiss government] like its verdict,” implying the Swiss government is under control of a Jewish lobby.

Accusations that Jews control world financial and political systems are popular and powerful antisemtic canards.

JUSO’s Facebook page has over 6,000 followers. The group has since removed the cartoon and published an apology, stating their regret that the cartoon “is open to an interpretation that does not reflect the core values of JUSO” and that it was not their intention to perpetuate antisemitism.

Sources: The New Antisemite, Watson

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“Nazi” and swastikas drawn on tram seats in Manchester, UK

A Metrolink tram in Manchester, UK, had to be taken out of service for cleaning after a passenger discovered that an unknown vandal had drawn swastikas and the word “Nazi” on a seat. An investigation is under way and the motive is believed to be antisemitic.

Source: Manchester Evening News

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“Jews out!” graffiti campaign continues in Berlin

Berlin’s Alt-Mariendorf district continues to see a campaign of antisemitic graffiti, RIAS reports.

Following last year’s spate of antisemitic vandalism, the Jew-hating slogans have continued to appear in the area. At the beginning of January, the Alt-Mariendorf underground station and its surroundings were daubed with graffiti including, “Who is Rotschild [sic]? Western Terror Jews [sic] out!”, a swastika and several “Jews Out” and also the initials “JF”.

“JF” may be a reference to the Junge Front (Young Front). The Junge Front was the youth movement attached to the Volkssozialistische Bewegung Deutschlands/Partei der Arbeit (the VSBD/PdA), a far-right political party that was founded in Germany in 1971 and banned in 1982. The VSBD/PdA represented a socialist-leaning version of Nazism. After it was banned, many of its former members founded the Nationalist Front.

Sources: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus, Wikipedia

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Belgian newspaper and Holocaust denier face action over interview claiming Nazi gas chambers were harmless

A Belgian daily paper, De Morgen, published an interview earlier this month, in which Siegfried Verbeke, a far-right symathiser with multiple convictions for inciting racial hatred against Jews and Holocaust denial, said: “Of course gas chambers existed, hundreds of them. To disinfect the clothes of people who went through them. But gas chambers designed to kill people never existed, no.”

Under Belgian law, Holocaust denial is illegal, and the state’s authority for combatting discrimination, has said that it may take legal action against Verbeke for his statement.

A Jewish newspaper, Joods Actueel, has also lodged an official complaint with the Belgian Council for Journalism, against De Morgen itself for “violation of ethics”.

Sources: CFCA/JTA and Joods Actueel

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Everyday Antisemitism London Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Thug who threatened to “kill all the Jews” convicted by Crown Court

Rashal Miah was convicted today by a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court despite pleading “not guilty” to telling a Jewish man: “Shut the f*** up, you f***ing Jew. I will slit your throat.”

The incident took place on 29th September 2014 in Stamford Hill in London. An orthodox Jewish man who was recognisably Jewish from his clothes was driving a school van full of children through traffic. Miah was driving a black Mercedes towards the school van on the wrong side of the road, which caused traffic to build up and block the road.

The driver of the school van asked Miah to reverse his car to let traffic pass, at which point Miah exited his car, “aggressively” approached the van and said: “Shut the f*** up, you f***ing Jew. I will slit your throat.” He went on to refer to the school van driver as “Yehudi” (Jew) and said: “I’m going to kill all the Jews.”

Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol provided support to the victim through the lengthy court process.

The sentence has not yet been decided.

Source: Shomrim

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Education Everyday Antisemitism Germany Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Teachers indifferent to use of “Jew” as an insult in German schools, especially amongst Muslim pupils

German news platform Hessenschau has reported that “Jew” has become a common insult amongst pupils in schools across German.

One teacher and educational scientist, Türkan Kanbicak, notes that “You Jew”, “You spastic” and sexist insults are very common. She remarks that, while she determinedly challenges all such incidences, many of her colleagues appear indifferent and say nothing.

Arif Arslaner, founder of Kubi, an organisation that provides social work to seven schools in Frankfurt an Main, says the insults are particularly prevalent amounst Muslim students. He advises that it is important to distinguish between ideological hatred and students “merely” parroting hateful rhetoric to be provocative.

He notes the difference between Muslim and non-Muslim students is that the latter are less open, rather than less hateful. Kanbicak supports this view, noting that amongst students from more traditional German backgrounds, outright antisemitism is taboo and is more likely to be cloaked as criticism around Israel.

Source: Hessenschau

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Antisemitic campaign posters at Berlin university declare “Capitalist pigs are not kosher”

RIAS have reported antisemitic posters used in a campaign in student elections at the Freie Universität, one of Berlin’s major universities.

The left wing group “Liste 15/Tierbabys und Klassenkampf” [List 15/Baby Animals and Class War] posted up campaign posters featuring a piglet drinking from a Starbucks cup, together with the slogan “Kapitalistenschweinchen sind nicht koscher” [“Capitalist pigs are not kosher”].

The word “kosher” is used to denote food prepared in accordance with Jewish law. It has also found wider use in common parlance to describe legitimacy or genuineness.

Conflating Jews with capitalism, and leveraging anti-capitalist sentiment against the Jewish people, is a centuries-old phenomenon. Contributing factors include culturally ingrained resentment stemming from Christian and Muslim communities, who borrowed from Jews, both because their scriptures prevented them borrowing within their religions and because they had banned Jews from almost all other lines of business. Other factors include Marxist contempt of Jews (Marx wrote: “What is the secular basis of Judaism? Practical need, self-interest. What is the worldly religion of the Jew? Huckstering. What is the worldly God? Money.”) and Soviet courtship of militant Islam throughout the 20th Century, which sought to mobilise Arab nationalism and radical Islamism in its fight against the West.

Dehumanising Jews by depicting them as pigs has an equally lengthy legacy. Judensau (German for “Jew-sow”), is a derogatory and dehumanising image of Jews that appeared from around the 13th century in Germany. Its popularity has lasted over 600 years and was revived by the Nazis.

Starbucks, whose Chairman and CEO is Jewish, has long been the focus of anti-Israel campaigners. In 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2014 there were several calls to boycott Starbucks for ‘supporting Israel’.

RIAS report that, following criticism within the student group itself, List 15 withdrew its campaign material.

Sources: Recherche- und Informationsstelle AntisemitismusAntisemitism and the American Far Left, Wikipedia, “On the Jewish Question” by Karl Marx

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Everyday Antisemitism France Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Six months in prison and €3,400 fine and costs for Frenchman who daubed antisemitic graffiti

A 21-year-old who defaced a youth centre and an apartment building in Grigny with graffiti saying “F*** the Jews” and praising Youssouf Fofana and Mohammed Merah, two French-Muslim anti-Jewish murderers, has been sentenced to six months in prison and must pay a €500 fine. Fofana kidnapped a 23-year-old French Jew and tortured him to death over the course of three weeks in 2006, while Merah murdered a teacher and three children aged 8, 6 and 3 at a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012, having previously murdered four paratroopers.

Besides claiming innocence in court, he also threatened to cause a riot by bringing the Muslim community, in its entirety, to the trial, which the judge considered a “shocking” defence strategy. The claimants in the case were the city of Grigny, as well as LICRA and CRIF, two French organisations which fight antisemitism. The defendant was ordered to pay them damages of €800, €1,300 and €800 respectively.

The perpetrator was tracked down when the name he had daubed on the buildings in June 2014 matched an online account he had and the photo on that account matched that of an individual with a “copious” police record.

Source: Le Parisien

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Man brazenly declares “Jews should be gassed!” in upmarket German bar

A journalist has reported that she was enjoying a drink in an upmarket bar in Hamburg’s Nobelviertel district on Saturday night, when a smartly-dressed fellow patron remarked that “Jews should be gassed.” She reports that she replied that she is Jewish and asked if he would therefore also like to murder her. He replied, “In that case, yes!”

In her blog entry on this incident, the journalist notes the confidence with which the person made his anti-Jewish remark. She remarked on the ease with which such genocidal statements become less and less controversial in polite German society.

Source: Tagesshau

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Molotov cocktail attack on synagogue in Germany “not antisemitic”, court retrial maintains

Two of the three people who firebombed a synagogue in Wuppertal, Germany in 2014 have been retried. Two men and one youth attacked the synagogue with Molotov cocktails in July 2014, claiming they were drunk following Ramadan. The three men live in Wuppertal but are said to originate from Gaza and Judea and Samaria.

The original trial, which took place in early 2015, provoked outrage from the Jewish community due to its leniency and verdict. The judge ruled that the attack was not motivated by antisemitism but was rather an act of “protest against the war in Gaza”. He issued the attackers a fine of €800.

The retrial has resulted in the two men, now 25 and 30 years old, merely receiving suspended prison sentences of 2 years and 1 year, 11 months, respectively, meaning that neither will go to prison unless they commit further offences. The youth is awaiting retrial in February, and will stand before a young offenders court.

Once again, the judge declined to declare this an antisemitic attack.

Source: Jüdische Allgemeine

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Turkish synagogue defaced after being used for the first time in 65 years

İstipol Synagogue in İstanbul’s Balat neighbourhood has been sprayed with graffiti reading: “Terrorist Israel, there is Allah!” The incident took place after the synagogue was used for the first time in 65 years on 8th January and the graffiti has now been painted over.

The synagogue is surrounded by tall brick walls topped with railings topped with barbed wire. Balat is historically a Jewish neighbourhood in İstanbul. There are nine synagogues in the area but only two of them are currently active. Today, certain areas of the neighbourhood are covered with spray-painted Turkish nationalist symbols, such as wolves and three crescents. Turkish nationalist symbols are prevalent in the Balat neigborhood, which used to be a home to many local Jews. Recently the Turkish Jewish community has increased its visibility including the first public menorah lighting in İstanbul’s Ortaköy Square, the first such public celebration of Chanukah in Turkey.

İvo Molinas, the editor-in-chief of the Jewish community’s weekly newspaper, Şalom, expressed his frustration in an interview with Today’s Zaman: “Writing anti-Israel speech on the wall of a synagogue is an act of antisemitism. There is widespread antisemitism voiced in Turkey and it gets in the way of celebrating the richness of cultural diversity in this country.”

Source: CFCA/Today’s Zaman

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Paris court fines antisemitic Yahoo post author €1,500 and €500 damages for incitement

The 17th chamber of the High Court in Paris (Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris) has reportedly awarded the author of a series of antisemitic posts on Yahoo a fine of €1,500, plus €500 damages to be paid to a French antisemitism watchdog. The court, which specialises in media offences, severely condemned the author of several posts which incited hatred against Jews, according to the organisation which instigated the proceedings, BNVCA (National Bureau for Vigilance Against Antisemitism). In a statement, BNVCA said that the court fined the author of the posts €1,500 and ordered that the offending party also pay €500 to BNVCA.

The case was initiated in 2012 by a BNVCA lawyer, Maître Marc Bensimhon, against the authors of various posts inciting hatred against Jews and even calling for Jews to be murdered. Investigators apparently used human intelligence and high-tech investigation methods to track down the anonymous author.

Source: BNVCA

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Second case of antisemitic abuse within two days in Berlin, Germany

RIAS have reported that a Jewish man wearing a kippah (Jewish skullcap) was verbally abused as he walked down the street in Berlin’s Neukölln district on Tuesday.

The Jewish man reports “Yahud” (Arabic for “Jew”) and “Sharmota” (Arabic for “Son of a bitch”) being shouted at him by an elderly man. The incident took place during the day on one of Berlin’s main streets. Passersby remained indifferent.

This is the second such reported incident to take place within two days, after a Jewish man was similarly harassed in Berlin on Sunday.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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“Jew, get over here!” shouted at Jewish man as he leaves Holocaust exhibition in Berlin

RIAS have reported that a Jewish man was subjected to antisemitic harassment in Berlin’s Schöneberg district last Sunday.

The man, who was wearing a kippah (Jewish skullcap), had been visiting the We Were Neighbours permanent exhibition, which documents biographies of local Jews who were murdered under National Socialism.

As he left the exhibition, a group of five people from a nearby restaurant shouted at him, “Jew, get over here!” The Jewish man swiftly left the scene and was able to avoid further confrontation.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Neo-Nazi jailed in UK for “anti-Jewification” incitement is still sending bizarre antisemitic letters from prison

Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a neo-Nazi jailed in the UK for inciting “anti-Jewification” demonstrations in areas with large Jewish populations is still sending antisemitic letters from prison. According to Western Gazette, Bonehill-Paine sent a letter in an envelope decorated with antisemitic cartoons, including a drawing of Adolf Hitler saluting, and a Star of David next to a crude depiction of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is commonly believed by antisemitic conspiracy theorists that Jews organised the 9/11 terrorist atrocity.

Bonehill-Paine was given a three year and four month sentence following his trial in December and had only been expected to serve half under sentencing guidelines which reward good behaviour in prison, but this incident could set him back. The letters, send from prisons in Wandsworth and Manchester, describe the young facist’s absurd ambition to become a politician, write books and pursue his neo-Nazi agenda by “legal means” upon his release.

A Prison Service spokesperson told Western Gazette: “We are investigating this unacceptable incident and have put measures in place to ensure this offender’s mail is monitored by prison staff. Additionally, we will also take disciplinary action against the prisoner, which could see him being stripped of his privileges and being referred to the police for investigation.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has already referred the latest incident to the Metropolitan Police Service.

Source: Western Gazette

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Jewish cemetery in Germany vandalised for the third time in as many months

A Jewish cemetery in Hanover, Germany, has been vandalised for the third time in as many months.

The Hannoversche Allgemeine reported yesterday that vandals have ripped out two gravestones and smashed a window adjacent to a sermon hall. In December, the cemetery received similar treatment, when gravestones were pulled out and desecrated. The month before, a grave was graffitied with a swastika and the crowned glass windows of the sermon hall were destroyed.

Source: Hannoversche Allgemeine

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Far-right Hungarian politician decries film board funding for Golden Globe winning Holocaust drama

Hungarian far-right politician Előd Novák has claimed that funding from a Hungarian film board for the Golden Globe winning Holocaust drama Son of Saul is evidence that the “Holocaust industry” is flourishing. Many antisemites claim that Jews fabricated or exaggerated the Holocaust so that they could ‘cash in’ on war reparations and other benefits, and they call this the “Holocaust industry”.

Novák posted the comment on Facebook in response to a post by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulating the makers of Son of Saul, who are Hungarian, on winning the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Novák is deputy chairman of Hungary’s Jobbik party, which holds a fifth of the seats in the country’s National Assembly. The party is widely considered to be an antisemitic neo-Nazi nationalist movement.

Son of Saul’s success at the Golden Globes precipitated an outpouring of antisemitism in Hungary.

Source: Fórum az antiszemitizmus ellen

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France’s prestigious Sciences Po expels a student for antisemitism

Amira Jumaa, a third-year student at Sciences Po University in Paris, interning at the French Embassy in New York, wrote to a Jew on Facebook that her country, Kuwait, could “buy you and your parents and put you in ovens.” The story was originally circulated on social media by the group Inglourious Basterds, which caused Sciences Po to end her embassy internship and to suspend her from the university. Now she has been permanently expelled. This is the first time that a student has been expelled from Sciences Po for disciplinary reasons.

Source: i24

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Greek bookstall caught selling antisemitic “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”

A bookstall in Ioannina, Greece, has been caught selling the antisemitic Tsarist forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The book is an antisemitic text forged by Tsar Alexander’s secret police to incite pogroms against Russian Jews, and even now it is widely circulated in antisemitic circles. According to a survey by the Anti-Defamation League, two thirds of Greeks harbour antisemitic attitudes.

Source: CFCA/Against Antisemitism

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Apartment block in Berlin targeted with antisemitic grafitti

The entrance to an apartment block in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin, Germany, has been repeatedly targeted with antisemitic stickers and graffiti .

A sticker in the entrance to the building, featuring the message, “There aren’t too many refugees, there are too many racists,” had the words “and Zionists” added by hand. This was followed by the appearance of a piece of graffiti, equating a hammer and sickle (a communist symbol), a Star of David and a swastika, together with the words, “Shalom! Best Wishes.”

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Hungarian Jewish organisation’s website replaced with pro-Palestinian propaganda

A group claiming to be Algerian hackers hacked a Hungarian Jewish website and added pro-Palestinian messages. The page has been restored now. The Jewish organisation concerned prefers not to be identified.

Source: Fórum az antiszemitizmus ellen

 

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Outpouring of antisemitism in Hungary after Hungarian Holocaust drama wins Golden Globe

Following the award of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film to Hungarian Holocaust drama Son of Saul yesterday, Hungary has witnessed an outpouring of antisemitism.

Hungary’s largest online newspaper, Indexpublished some of the worst examples. It includes a flood of comments denying the Holocaust and also blaming the Hungarian Prime Minister for congratulating the film’s creators, claiming that he is obeying Jewish commands.

The newspaper’s journalists also witnessed antisemitic discourse about the film in public, including people questioning the truth of Holocaust.

Source: Fórum az antiszemitizmus ellen/Index

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Everyday Antisemitism France Violence Ξ E-mail

Jewish man injured in stabbing attack at Marseille synagogue, 15-year-old suspect in custody

A Jewish man has been injured in a stabbing attack this morning in the French city of Marseille. According to Times of Israel, Binyamin Amsalem, a teacher, sustained light injuries to his hand. His life was saved by his Torah (Jewish bible) with which he shielded himself.

Reports say that the 15-year-old attacker shouted “Allahu Akhbar” and attempted to stab congregants as they left the synagogue after morning prayers, and when he was unsuccessful fled the scene, throwing his knife away. Police apprehended the attacker ten minutes later.

According to the Marseille prosecutor: “He claimed to have acted in the name of Allah and the Islamic State, repeating several times to have done this on behalf of ISIS.”

A police source told Le Figaro that the attacker appeared to be insane, but ISIS has previously told its supporters to use insanity as an excuse. In a stabbing attack on synagogue-goers in October in Marseille, the assailant claimed to be insane, but this was rejected by the court. ISIS supporters in Marseille also stabbed a Jewish teacher in November.

http://twitter.com/ILNewsFlash/status/686483188798099456

Source: Le FigaroTimes of Israel

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Verbal Abuse Violence Ξ E-mail

Jewish man attacked and robbed by Syrian and Afghan men shouting “Jew” in German port town

A 49-year-old Jewish man was attacked and robbed by migrants at a train station in Puttgarden, Germany on Sunday, according to reports. Two men, a 19-year-old Syrian and a 30-year-old from Afghanistan, are said to have identified the Jewish man, who lives in France, by his kippah (Jewish skullcap). They began shouting abuse at him, “Yahud” (“Jew” in Arabic), then pushed him to the ground, stood on his hands and stole his bag.

The incident occurred in the early hours, in the station waiting room. Puttgarden is a harbour and village on the German island of Fehmarn, situated on the ferry route between Germany and Denmark. The two men had been denied entry to Denmark due to insufficient documentation, and were waiting for a train to Neumünster, Germany, where they were later arrested.

Source: Hamburger Abendblatt

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Everyday Antisemitism France Humiliation Transportation Ξ E-mail

Elderly female cancer patient in France humiliated by bus driver who mistook her for a Jew

A lady from France sent in the following report:

My husband is a doctor in Roubaix, France, where there are very few Jews. On Friday, he walked into his waiting room to get the next patient, and he saw an elderly lady with a wig and modest clothes. He realised she was wearing the wig because of her chemotherapy treatments. When she got into his office, she burst into tears and cried all the way through her story: she had boarded a city bus, and given five euros to the driver, whom she described as a man of Arabic descent. He gave her her change all in pennies, laughing. She asked whether she could have some coins of a higher denomination, and he just laughed and said he was within his rights. She said she had never felt so humiliated, in front of all of the other passengers on the bus, and she could not stop crying. My husband is not Jewish but understood straight away. He explained to her that with the wig and the way she happened to be dressed, the bus driver had surely taken her for a Jew.

A common antisemitic trope is that Jews are miserly and ‘chase pennies’.

Source: Reported to Everyday Antisemitism

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Property in Munich, Germany vandalised with Star of David graffiti

A block of apartments in Munich, Germany has been vandalised with spray-painted Stars of David.

Three entrances and two external walls were daubed. It has been confirmed that Jewish people live in the property.

Source: TZ

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Everyday Antisemitism South East of England Sports Verbal Abuse Ξ CAA Ξ E-mail

Football fans banned for three years for Nazi salutes and mimicking escaping gas

Two Southampton FC supporters who yelled abuse, mimicked the sound of hissing gas and made Nazi salutes at Tottenham Hotspur fans have been banned from attending matches for three years.

Thomas Flynn and Michael Haydon committed the offences at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium during a match on 19th December 2015.

Flynn, 22, of Yeovil Chase, Harefield, Southampton and Haydon, 23, of White Hart Lane, Cadnam, admitted a charge each of using threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour in what was deemed a religiously aggravated public order offence.

They were barred from attending games in Britain and abroad for three years after being convicted at Southampton Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutor Charles Nightingale had described how Flynn, Haydon and another man were seen shouting antisemitic abuse including “gas the Jews”.

Mr Nightingale said one of the Spurs fans reported: “There was a white male raising his right hand and finger below his nose and making hissing sounds imitating gas escaping.”

After a steward notified police, Haydon was arrested at the ground, while Flynn was detained nearby. The court heard that the third man was never identified.

Haydon had been drinking since that morning, said his lawyer Jane Hiatt, and admitted making hissing sounds but denied saluting and shouting abuse.

In mitigation she said of the season ticket holder, who had attended games since he was aged five: “This is very out of character and a blip. He’s horrified and ashamed.”

Nicola Attwood, for Flynn, said her client — who was sober — also admitted hissing but denied making salutes. She said: “He is disgusted with himself and that he deserves a ban and that the people would be gravely offended by his behaviour.”

Magistrate Victoria Parker sentenced them to a three-year banning order preventing them from attending games in Britain and requiring them to hand passports to police before major games abroad.

They were also handed a 12-week community order and curfew, banned from going within a mile of St Mary’s Stadium four hours before and after kick-off on matchdays, and ordered to pay £145 in costs.

She said: “This was a very serious matter and watching you during these court proceedings I think you know that and are very ashamed of what you did.”

Source: Southern Daily Echo

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Everyday Antisemitism London Television Ξ E-mail

BBC accused of “gratuitous” and “unjustifiable” antisemitism in Christmas and New Year dramas

Campaign Against Antisemitism has accused the BBC of “gratuitous” antisemitism in series aired over the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

Citing two examples, Campaign Against Antisemitism admonished the BBC for trying to exchange artistic licence for “antisemitic licence”, saying: “Artistic licence allows distortion for artistic purposes, but there is no such thing as antisemitic licence. If antisemitism is gratuitous and irrelevant to the story or art, cut it out. This is supposed to be elementary.”

The first cited example was a serialisation of Agatha Christie’s mystery thriller, And then there were none, episode two of which was aired on 27th December 2015 at 21:00. In one scene, the characters discuss the identity of the mysterious “Isaac morris”. During the discussion, one character says: “Jews. Whenever there’s a problem, there’s Jews at the bottom of it.” Campaign Against Antisemitism questioned the “totally gratuitous conservation of Agatha Christie’s antisemitism in the BBC’s adaptation of the book”. Whilst some have responded that the antisemitism is true to the text, the title of the adaptation was changed to remove a racist term for black people, and since the antisemitism is irrelevant to the plot and characters, it is totally unclear why the BBC included it in the adaptation.

The second example involved popular soap opera Eastenders. In the episode that aired on 6th January 2016 at 18:00, one character tells another that Herod was “King of the Jews” before reciting his villainous attributes. While there is nothing new about nativity stories in which the villains are all Jews and the fact that Jesus was Jewish is forgotten, Campaign Against Antisemitism raised concern that the tradition alive and well at the BBC.

Source: Campaign Against Antisemitism

 

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Czech Republic Everyday Antisemitism Incitement Politics Ξ E-mail

Czech police investigate extremist party leader over antisemitic incitement

Two nationalist Czech politicians have been accused of leaving an antisemitic text at the grave of a woman whose murder in the 19th century was wrongly blamed on a Jewish man. Adama Bartoše,  the National Democracy (ND) movement’s extra-parliamentary chairman, and ND member Ladislav Zemanek are known to have visited the grave of Anezka Hruzova, murdered in 1899, last Easter on the anniversary of her death.

Bartoše and Zemanek displayed a sign with a photograph of the murdered woman and a text reading: “Her death cemented the Czech nation and it showed the urgent necessity to solve the Jewish question. The Jewish question has not been resolved in a satisfactory manner yet.”

Leopold Hilsner, from the local Jewish ghetto in Polna, was convicted of murdering the 19-year-old Hruzova, a Christian woman, and sentenced to death, a punishment later commuted to life imprisonment. He was pardoned in 1918. The case provoked an outbreak of antisemitism, which included the claim that it was a ritual murder.

Bartoše has previously attracted headlines for suggesting that refugees be housed in the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Michal Dolezel, Brno’s councillor for the Live Brno political movement, has filed a legal complaint against Bartoše and Zemanek.

Regional police spokeswoman Dana Cirtkova said the police had launched criminal proceedings.

Source: iDNES

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Everyday Antisemitism London Verbal Abuse Violence Ξ E-mail

Police investigating after Jewish shoppers pelted with gas canisters by neo-Nazis in London, Shomrim assisting victims

The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating an incident that took place this evening at around 19:45 in which three Jewish shoppers were subjected to antisemitic abuse in Tottenham Hale by three white men in a white pickup truck.

The three men shouted “Hitler is on the way to you, Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler” and threw small gas refill canisters towards the victims, two men and a woman.

Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, was called by the victims and is providing victim support. None of the victims were injured, but they were badly shaken by the experience.

The Metropolitan Police Service is now investigating. Anybody with information should call the police on 101 quoting reference CAD7955-06/01/16.

Jonathan Sacerdoti, Director of Communications at the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This disturbing incident is a reminder of the abuse that many Jewish people experience all too often. It is vital that victims report all antisemitic attacks or incidents whenever they happen, and that the police take every report seriously, investigating and charging those responsible wherever possible.”

Shomrim volunteer Michael Blayer said: “This behaviour is appalling, the victims were innocent shoppers at the Tottenham Hale Retail Park, and they were targeted because they were visibly Jewish. The verbal abuse was disgusting, and small objects were thrown towards the victims, making them fear for their immediate safety. Shomrim are supporting the victims. The incident has been reported to the Metropolitan Police, I have absolute confidence in our local police that this will be thoroughly investigated. I encourage anyone who witnessed this incident or who may have experienced a similar incident to report it.”

Source: Stamford Hill Shomrim

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Everyday Antisemitism Facebook Hungary Ξ E-mail

Hungarian man sentenced to 400 days in prison or large fine for Facebook “Holohoax” post

The district court in Esztergom, Hungary, has sentenced a man to 400 days in prison or an Ft800,000 (£1,865 or $2,735) fine for denying the Holocaust on social media. He will be taken into custody if he does not pay the fine.

Facebook user “Norbert J”, of Dömös, near Budapest, had posted an interview with rabbi Slomó Köves and beneath it he commented “Holohoax”. He apologised for his behaviour in a letter in which he claimed that he acted in anger after reading an article on the “Holocaust industry”.

The sentence was aggravated by the fact that the man has previous convictions, and the man had reportedly published several other pieces of antisemitic content on his Facebook timeline.

Source: Hungary Today

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Everyday Antisemitism France Paramilitary Organisation Ukraine Ξ E-mail

Ukrainian neo-Nazi paramilitary group planning to convene in France

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has issued a warning over “a troubling meeting” in Nantes on 16th January of supporters of the Ukrainian Azov Battalion. According to the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, “a majority of the unit’s members can be labelled as neo-Nazi in iconising ‘Hitler as a great military leader’ and in denying the Holocaust; in claiming that ‘Putin is a Jew’; by the Wolfsangel (Wolfs Hook) logo on their banner and swastika tattoos; and in quotes from the unit’s leader, Colonel Andrey Biletzky, that his historic mission is ‘a crusade against the Semite-led Untermenschen [subhumans]…the struggle for the liberation of the entire White race’”. The Simon Wiesenthal Centre called on the mayor of Nantes to ban the meeting.

Source: The Simon Wiesenthal Centre

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Everyday Antisemitism Facebook Germany Ξ E-mail

Berlin neo-Nazi group posts antisemitic New Year message

RIAS have reported that a small, Berlin-based, neo-Nazi group has been active on Facebook recently, under the name “Berlin Autonomous Nationalists” (Autonome Nationalisten Berlin).

On New Year’s Eve the group posted a status update entitled “Guten Rutsch – NEIN Danke! meaning “Happy New Year – NO Thanks!”in reference to the customary “Guten Rutsch” New Year greeting in Germany and Austria.

The neo-Nazi group states at length that it is a “disgrace” that this phrase is being used in Germany to convey well wishes, as the expression “has Jewish origins and nothing to do with German culture” and its use must “finally be put a stop to”.

The theory that the phrase “Guten Rutsch” stems from the Jewish New Year festival of Rosh Hashanah is widely debunked.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Politics Turkey Ξ E-mail

Turkish Prime Minister explains he ‘only’ wants the same powers as Hitler

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been condemned for defending his request for greater authority by claiming that he only wants the same powers as Adolf Hitler held.

Erdogan stood for the largely powerless role of president last year after being constitutionally prevented from running for a fourth term as prime minister.

Since then he has pushed for constitutional change that would allow him greater influence, while continuing to pursue an Islamist agenda.

In response to arguments that giving the president political power would not work in a unitary state, he cited other ‘successful’ cases from the past.

“There are already examples in the world,” he said. “You can see it when you look at Hitler’s Germany. There are later examples in various other countries.”

Within Turkey he was criticised for apparent dictatorial ambitions, and Middle Eastern online commentators took to Twitter to ridicule his remarks. Twitter user Cahida Dersim posted that “Turkish Pres #Erdogan says Hitler’s Germany an example of presidential system with unitary state. Yes, we have just entered the year 2016!”

The comments were seen as the latest in a series of statements insensitive to Jews. In the past he has likened Zionism to fascism, given financial and diplomatic support to Hamas and called for Turkish Jews to issue a statement condemning Israel.

Source: Telegraph

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Everyday Antisemitism London Retail Verbal Abuse Ξ CAA Ξ E-mail

London petrol station cashier reportedly tells Jewish customer “I hate you guys”

Campaign Against Antisemitism received a report that on 9th December, a Jewish man was subjected to antisemitic abuse at a petrol station in Stamford Hill, London, when he went to pay for his petrol. According to the report, as he finished paying for his petrol, the cashier said, “I hate you guys,” to which the victim responded, “What do you mean?” The cashier then allegedly answered: “I hate you and all you Jewish people.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has discussed the matter with the Metropolitan Police Service, which has confirmed that they attended the incident and treated it as a racially or religiously aggravated incident intended to cause harassment, alarm or distress, which is an offence under the Public Order Act. However, the victim declined to give police a statement and no evidence was found to substantiate the allegation, so the police were left with no option other than to have a discussion with the alleged offender and close the case.

Shomrim, the volunteer Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, was introduced to the victim and helped him to make a statement to the police, but due to the absence of a corroborating second witness statement, police action was still not possible.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The police can only act when allegations are supported by evidence, including evidence from victims themselves wherever possible. Anybody who experiences antisemitism in person should first call the police, and then if it is safe to do so, they should try to capture video evidence using a smartphone and take the contact details of anyone else who witnessed the incident.”

Source: Campaign Against Antisemitism

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Everyday Antisemitism Netherlands Vandalism Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Jewish home attacked in Amsterdam by new year revellers yelling “Cancer Jews”

Reports have emerged that a Jewish family’s home was attacked on new year’s eve in Amsterdam by antisemitic revellers. According to a Facebook post, teenagers shouting antisemitic abuse attacked the home. The post, apparently by the owner of the home, said: “Last night, a few teens decided their celebrations are not complete without some hatred. While yelling ‘Cancer Jews’ and ‘Free Palestine’ they kicked our doors and windows.”

NL Times reported that members of the family were outside when local youths started shouting at them. They then threw fireworks at the Jewish family and pushed firecrackers through the letterbox.

Source: Dagelijkse Standaard, NL Times

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Education Everyday Antisemitism West Midlands Ξ CAA Ξ E-mail

School inspectors find “antisemitic material” in unregistered schools in England

School inspectors in England have found three unregistered schools, operating in Birmingham, teaching from books which include “antisemitic material”. The inspectors, from Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) found that the schools’s 94 pupils were being taught according to a narrow Islam-focused curriculum.

The discovery comes after Sir Michael Wilshaw, Chief Inspector of Schools In England and head of Ofsted, announced in late 2015 that school inspectors had found 15 unregistered schools in England, of which all had a Christian or Muslim faith designation.

Ofsted is setting up a task force against unregistered schools operating in England.

Sources: The Telegraph, BBC

 

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Posters

Spate of antisemitic propaganda appears in Berlin, warning against “Jewish terror” from Great Britain

RIAS have reported an ongoing spate of antisemitic, conspiracy material being distributed in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district.

Flyers have been appearing in bus stops, office buildings and fixed to lamp posts. At least four have been discovered since the end of October.

The most recent material appeared in December. It includes cryptic messages warning against “Jewish terror” and potential attacks against Berlin’s citizens, streets and public libraries, supposedly committed to promoting the interests of “Jews from GB”.

The reverse of the flyers contains instructions on how to research online for information on “mind control” and warns of “secret attacks” enabled through technological equipment patented in the USA.

More recent flyers have included the logo of the “Anonymous” collective of activists and hackers.

Source: Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus

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Everyday Antisemitism Politics Ukraine Ξ E-mail

Neo-Nazi antisemitic mayor alarms Ukrainian Jews

Jewish residents of a city in northern Ukraine have spoken of their concerns after the election of a neo-Nazi mayor.

Two months after Mayor Artem Semenikhin, of the neo-Nazi Svoboda party, became mayor of Konotop, he has become notorious for his openly antisemitic behaviour.

Reports suggest he drives a car bearing the numbers 14/88, which refer to the 14-word phrase “we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children” and “Heil Hitler”, the letter ‘H’ being the eighth in the alphabet. He reportedly replaced a picture of President Petro Poroshenko in his office with one of Ukrainian national leader and Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera, and refused to fly the city’s flag at the new council’s first meeting because it features a Star of David. The flag also includes a Muslim crescent and a cross.

Svoboda’s leaders have made numerous antisemitic remarks in the past, though they have spoken more carefully in recent years while attempting to present themselves as a mainstream party. Its general popularity has declined in the past year and it currently holds six seats in the Ukrainian parliament, but its fortunes improved in the recent municipal elections, when it won 10 per cent of the vote in Kiev and second place in Lviv.

Ilya Bezruchko, the Ukrainian representative of the US-based National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry, said that he thought residents, who generally have good relations with local Jews, voted for Semenikhin because he appeared able to bring change and tackle corruption.

Community activist Igor Nechayev told the Jerusalem Post: “The reaction of [the] community is shock. People are shocked it could happen in [a] city and nobody believed it could happen here but it happened somehow.”

Source: Jerusalem Post

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Education Everyday Antisemitism London Ξ E-mail

London university apologises for script about dukes owing money to “the Jew”

A London university has apologised unreservedly after students on its voice production course were asked to read a script about dukes owing Jews money as part of a drill in vowel and consonant projection.

Students at City Lit University wanting to improve their vocal clarity were asked to say: “The duke paid the money that was due to the Jew before the dew was off the grass on Tuesday. The Jew, having duly acknowledged it, bade adieu to the duke forever.”

The university immediately and unreservedly apologised, telling the Jewish News: “This exercise does not hold true to the core values and promotion of equality and diversity I expect of my team. I would most certainly like to issue an apology on behalf of the department for this extraordinarily outdated and offensive approach to lesson content. The learner was rightly offended…I am investigating this issue with the voice delivery team, as clearly we need to address the tutor responsible and provide support in their awareness and understanding of the offence they have caused in the first instance.”

The reaction comes after a Jewish News reader raised concerns it was “perhaps more acceptable in Shakespeare’s day than in 2015”.

Source: Jewish News

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Everyday Antisemitism Hungary Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Youths shout “Dirty Jews” and “You killed Jesus” at Jewish youths on major Budapest shopping street

Late last night, a group of six people approached a group of Jewish youths on the corner of one of Budapest’s main shopping streets and shouted “Dirty Jews” and “You killed Jesus”. After a short argument, the aggressors left the scene. No passersby intervened.

Source: Fórum az antiszemitizmus ellen

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Everyday Antisemitism Politics Ukraine Ξ E-mail

Ukranian MP toasts Hitler, singing “Adolf Hitler, together with us, Adolf Hitler, in each of us”

A video has surfaced showing Ukrainian MP Artyom Vitko dressed in combat fatigues toasting Adolf Hitler and singing along to a song by a Russian neo-Nazi band, whose lyrics include: “Adolf Hitler, together with us, Adolf Hitler, in each of us, and an eagle with iron wings will help us at the right time.” He toasted a companion as the band sang “Heil Hitler”.

Vitko is the former commander of the government-backed Luhansk-1 Battalion and is now a member of the Radical Party. He can be seen sitting in the back of a car wearing combat fatigues and singing along to a song by a Russian neo-Nazi band extolling the virtues of the Nazi dictator.

His party leader, Oleh Lyashko, has just denounced President Petro Poroshenko for apologising for Ukrainian complicity in the Holocaust. Speaking before the Knesset in Israel last week, Poroshenko had said “we must remember the negative events in history, in which collaborators helped the Nazis with the Final Solution. When Ukraine was established [as an independent state in 1991], we asked for forgiveness, and I am doing it now, in the Knesset, before the children and grandchildren of the victims of the Holocaust…I am doing it before all citizens of Israel.”

Lyashko responded on Facebook: “This kind of humiliation of Ukrainians has not been recorded in our history yet…The Knesset has not recognized the Holodomor [a major famine] as the genocide of the Ukrainian people. That is a goal for Ukrainian authorities visiting the Holy Land rather than belittling Ukrainians [and] proclaiming inferiority of his people on the international level.”

Source: Jerusalem Post

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Employment Discrimination Everyday Antisemitism Greece Police Abuse Verbal Abuse Ξ Channels Ξ E-mail

UN guard dismissed for ordering American Jewish volunteers to leave immigrant camp on Greek island

A group of American Jewish volunteers for IsraAID has told Israel Today about an incident which saw them ordered to leave the transit camp where they had been trying to help migrants.

The incident began when volunteers working with other organisations swamped antisemitic at the Jewish women. At that point, a UN security guard arrived and, instead of quieting the antagonists, joined in the verbal assault of the Jewish women, demanding they leave the camp.

One of the group said: “The situation quickly deteriorated. The guard…yelled at me and said there was no place here for people like me. ‘Like me?’ I asked. ‘You mean Israeli? But I’m an American Jew.’ The guard replied by insisting that we [Jews] are all the same: murderers. He then threatened to arrest us if we didn’t leave the camp.”

An Israeli Arab member of IsraAID came to the defence of the women. He notified the camp administration of the incident, leading to the security guard’s dismissal.

The young Jewish women had traveled from the United States to volunteer with IsraAID, and were wearing the Israeli group’s shirts at the time of the incident.

 

Source: CFCA/Israel Today

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Everyday Antisemitism France Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Graffiti in France threatens to kill Jews and glorifies ISIS and Mohammed Merah

Graffiti containing antisemitic death threats and glorifying ISIS and Mohammed Merah (who murdered Jewish schoolchildren and a teacher in Toulouse, and soldiers on guard duty) were found yesterday morning on the wall under the balcony of a building on rue de Seine, in Sartrouville, France.

A forensic team gathered evidence before the graffiti was cleaned away by the municipality, although a lack of CCTV video cameras will make the investigation difficult.

Source: CFCA/InfoNormandie

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Everyday Antisemitism France Vandalism Ξ E-mail

Paris’ famous Sacré-Coeur Basilica defaced with “F*** the Jewish community” graffiti

The famous Sacré-Coeur Basilica in the 18th arrondissement of Paris has been defaced with graffiti saying “F*** the Jewish community”. The graffiti has still not been removed.

Source: CFCA/JSS News

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Everyday Antisemitism London Radio Ξ E-mail

BBC radio show presenter allows caller to opine for 13 minutes about Jewish world domination

Last week on BBC London Radio, during a phone-in, a BBC presenter and a caller discussed Jews.

The caller was given over thirteen minutes of airtime, spewing vile antisemitism, with many of his arguments left unchecked. Though it was clear from the outset that the caller was an unrepentant antisemite, the presenter allowed him to opine at length on the subject of Jewish world domination, even telling his caller: “I’m giving you more than I have done anyone.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has issued a call to action over the following excerpts:

BBC presenter: “There is a debate, listen I’m not saying there is no debate, clearly there is a debate about whether Israel in its current form should be where it is.”

Caller:

“They are trying to control us more and more and more. They want to put a chip up our backsides, a ring through our noses, and a vizor for our horizons… the elite… the Rothschilds”

“It’s not just about old money, it’a about the Zionists”

“Most of the Jews of the world come from eastern Europe, from a place called originally, an empire called Cesaria… The Rothschilds, the people who own the Bank of England, the people who own the Federal Reserve, they’re all Zionist Jews. The people who own corporate America, the media, you’ll find if you just do a little bit of research, they’re all Zionist Jews. We are ruled by Zionist Jews.”

“The history of Jews from Palestine, that area of Judaism, it’s a long long history of thousands of years, has nothing to do with Zionism.”

“True Judaism… they’re against Zionism, those guys with the hats and the curly hair.”

“They control the money, the money, finance… 80% of corporate America, of the media, is owned by Jews. And they’re Zionist Jews.”

“We are dominated by the Jews’ system, the financial Jewish system.”

“We keep going on about the Jews… mainstream media, they keep banging on about the Jews and the Holocaust… we keep going on about six million Jews.”

Source: Campaign Against Antisemitism

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Everyday Antisemitism Sweden Television Ξ E-mail

Swedish presenter who equated Israel to Nazis given top Christmas television spot

One of Sweden’s most coveted television spots, hosting the annual Christmas schedule on Sweden’s state-owned SVT, was given to Gina Dirawi this year.

Dirawi, who will also host Eurovision in Stockholm in 2016, has previously claimed that “The Israeli government does the same thing as Hitler did to its people but with other means. They are racists, they oppress, and kill people who are not like them!”

In 2012 she posting an image on her blog of the book Är världen upp och ner? by Lasse Wilhelmson, under the title, Some bedtime reading…” The book’s back cover states, “Lasse writes that Israel is the greatest threat to world peace today and Zionism the greatest threat to humanity.”

Dirawi has also called on her blog for International Holocaust Remembrance Day to be turned into a memorial day for all,  including all Palestinians murdered by the Zionists in Israel”.

Source: Times of Israel

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Everyday Antisemitism Germany Lack of Security Verbal Abuse Ξ E-mail

Jewish man hears spectators at imam’s trial threatening to kill him but court guards refuse to help

Last month it was reported that a Jewish man, who was attending the public hearing against Imam Abdallah I in Berlin, Germany, was called a “Jewish pig” by another member of the public during the hearing.

Reports have now emerged that the victim responded by remarking, “Shut up, you terrorist”. Following this response, the attacker and his group spoke amongst themselves in Arabic. The Jewish man was able to make out some words, including “kill” and “outside”.

The victim attempted to alert the judge, who did not react. He was then told by guards to stop disrupting the proceedings. This spurred on the attackers, who began kicking his chair. The victim left the courtroom in fear and approached two court security guards who told him, “If you’re scared, go to the police.”

The victim told Die Welt that he has not reported the incident to the police, as they have been unresponsive to a past attack he reported. Two months ago, he was verbally abused and spat at by a gang while travelling the Berlin underground system. This is the fourth such attack he has experienced in Germany and he reported the case to the police. The police advised him they would watch security camera footage and contact him. He did not hear from them again.

Source: Die Welt

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East of England Everyday Antisemitism Politics Twitter Ξ E-mail

British activist expelled from Labour Party for “Jewish blood” tweets

Labour activist Scott Nelson has been expelled by the Labour Party over a series of antisemitic tweets.

Nelson, who describes himself as a supporter of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, sometimes tweets to his more than 21,000 Twitter followers about Middle East politics, and it was his tweets on this subject which led to his expulsion from the Labour Party.

Nelson said: “Having thought about this matter, I accept that I used clumsy and inappropriate wording concerning the Jewish heritage of Tesco and M&S by mentioning Jewish blood and my comments about Blairites being purged for disloyalty to Jeremy Corbyn.”

Nelson had tweeted about Tesco and Marks & Spencer, saying: “They have Jewish blood” as early as October 2014, but it appears to have been his comments this month about “appalling conditions working for Jewish companies” that caused the Labour Party to expel him.

The Labour Party has yet to take any action against Sir Gerald Kaufman MP, whose speech to MPs including the Shadow Minister for Justice was far worse than anything Nelson has said.

https://twitter.com/TheMockneyRebel/status/517385599524012033

Source: Your Thurrock