Press Release: American Jewish Committee Condemns NPD Leader for Racist and Antisemitic Statement About Barack Obama
The Berlin office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) condemns racist and antisemitic statements made by Jürgen Gansel, NPD member of the Saxonian Parliament and member of the county council of Meißen, in a press release he issued on the recent U.S. elections entitled “Africa Conquers the White House.”
On the 70th anniversary of the November pogroms of 1938, Deidre Berger, Director of the AJC Berlin/Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations, expressed shock at the open expression of racism, antisemitism and anti-Americanism. “The statements are an insult to all U.S. citizens and to U.S. democracy.” Berger added: “I am incredulous that 70 years after the November pogroms, it is possible for a member of a state parliament in Germany to openly use racist and antisemitic Nazi terminology. Such language should not be tolerated on any level by German society, certainly not in a parliament.”
In his press release, Gansel terms the election results, which he attributes to the strength of the minority vote, to be a „declaration of war on all human beings.” Gansel, who is also a member of the federal board of the NPD, attributes the election results to an alleged alliance of Jews and African-Americans and racially vilifies the President-elect.
Deidre Berger asks federal politicians and members of the Saxonian parliament to speak out against such racist language, taking to heart the words of Chancellor Angela Merkel in her speech on November 9th, the 70th anniversary of the Night of Pogroms, in which she warns against the dangers of silence in the face of incitement and hatred. “Racist and antisemitic statements must be counteracted”, Berger emphasizes. “We need to close the ranks among all democratic forces, from the CDU to the Left, in order to combat the seeds of hatred that challenge our democracy.”
On the 70th commemoration of the pogroms against Jews that raged throughout Germany, Deidre Berger has expressed disappointment that the German parliament backed down on a previous consensus to recommend a federal ombudsman for antisemitism. She noted that this year alone, there have been approximately 800 acts of antisemitism. “The uprising of the decent is not enough. Action must follow well-intended speeches. We need an ombudsman to coordinate the package of measures approved by parliament to counteract antisemitism in a consistent, long-term manner to improve educational measures, strengthen monitoring and enhance public awareness.”
In light of growing electoral support for the NPD, Deidre Berger calls for “an offensive to enhance democracy, particularly in areas in which the NPD receives more votes than the major parties.” Berger added: “Current federal initiatives supporting programs to combat antisemitism and racism are overly bureaucratic and need urgent adjustment, including an expansion of financial support. Otherwise, many valuable civil society initiatives in this area will be forced to shut down.”
