Incidents and Controversies
This list of antisemitic incidents in Europe provides readers with an overview of incidents and controversies all over Europe. It is definitely not complete and to some extent unbalanced, i.e., some countries are better represented than others. However, that does not mean antisemitism is more virulent in countries that are more present in this list; it is simply better monitored there. You can help improve monitoring by reporting incidents that have occurred in your country to the Forum.
London, UK: Member of Parliament’s Trip to Lebanon Funded by Hezbollah TV
August 14, 2008.
As TotallyJewish.com reports, British Member of Parliament Clare Short’s travel expenses for her recent visit to Lebanon in July were funded by Al-Manar – a tv-channel, known for its krude antisemitic content and forbidden in the USA and France. Short, who stated that she was in the country to “appear on the television show In Their Eyes and to participate in some official visits” was heavily criticized by fellow Members of Parliament and Jewish Community leaders for her decision to let Al-Manar pay for her flights, accommodation, food and travel expenses.
Source: TotallyJewish.com, 08-14-2008
Paris, France: French Jewish Group Sues YouTube
August 14, 2008.
A French Jewish group is suing the YouTube video-sharing website over a clip showing a host of Jewish public figures to the soundtrack of a pre-war antisemitic song. The video, posted on the US YouTube site and its French rival Dailymotion, shows a slide show of more than 150 French politicians, TV stars, journalists, writers, philosophers, actors, singers and comedians. It is set to the sound of a song recorded before World War II, called "Rebecca's wedding," which describes the guests at a Jewish wedding as dirty, rude and dishonest.» Read more.
Paris, France: Antisemitic Shirts on Sale in Parisian Clothes Shop
August 12, 2008.
French police arrested the owner and an employee of a Paris store discovered to be selling T-shirts with antisemitic slogans. The store, located in the Belleville area of Paris, was selling T-shirts with printed slogans in German and Polish reproduced from 1940’s anti-Semitic slogans, prohibiting the Jews of Lodz, in Poland, to enter the town's public park and saying: "Jews are forbidden from entering the park." » Read more.
Dresden (Saxony), Germany: State Attorneys Challenge Sentence Against the Group “Storm 34” (“Sturm 34”)
August 12, 2008.
The State Attorney of Dresden will appeal against the sentence against the forbidden neo-Nazi group “Storm 34” (“Sturm 34”). Even though several members had received sentences for assault, they had not been found guilty of membership of a criminal organization, an offence the State Attorney sees as important and central to the offenses committed by the members.» Read more.
Berlin, Germany: German Neo-Nazis Becoming More Violent
August 11, 2008.
In an interview with the German daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, Jörg Ziercke, head of the Federal Crime Office (Bundeskriminalamt), stated that German neo-Nazis seem to have made a tactical shift and are increasingly turning to violence. Ziercke emphasized that the number of violent incidents were still high and went on to say that neo-Nazis had been especially aggressive in clashes in Hamburg on May 1st.» Read more.
Vilnius, Lithuania: Neo-Nazi Charged With Incitement in March 11 Procession
August 11, 2008.
For the first time, a participant in a neo-Nazi march in Vilnius that featured antisemitic and anti-Russian slogans could face prison time after prosecutors charged him with inciting ethnic hatred last week, according to an August 8, 2008 report by the web site Jewish.ru. Paulus Patsyulyavichyus allegedly participated in the March 11 procession, which featured signs and chants of "Jews out!" and "Lithuania without Russians." Three other marches have been ordered to pay fines in earlier court cases.
Source: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 08-11-2008
Makhachkala, Russia: Vandals Strike Two Jewish Cemeteries
August 11, 2008.
Unknown suspects have struck two Jewish cemeteries in Makhachkala, damaging more than 80 gravestones. Due to financial problems, the Jewish community has been unable to build a more secure fence around the cemeteries to prevent such incidents.
Source: Union of Council for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 08-28-2008
Vilnius, Lithuania: Attack on Jewish Community Center
August 10, 2008.
On August 10th Jewish leaders in Vilnius discovered that the central community building was besmeared with swastikas and other antisemitic epithets. Someone had spray-painted “Juden Raus” (Jews out) on the building, reminiscent of the calls of neo-Nazi marchers who demonstrated on the streets of Vilnius earlier this year. » Read more.
Paris, France: Antisemitic Graffiti Referring to Jean Sarkozy
August 09, 2008.
Jean Sarkozy, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's son, has taken legal steps regarding antisemitic graffiti in the Paris suburb where he is a local councilor, the website of the daily Le Parisien said on Thursday.
It states that Jean Sarkozy had seen the words "Sarkozy, thieving jews" sprayed on the wall of a court building in Neuilly-sur-Seine and had filed a complaint with the local police. Supposedly, the same tag was sprayed in three other locations.
The complaint follows a controversy over suggestions in a satirical magazine that Jean Sarkozy, who is 21 years old, was preparing to convert to Judaism, following his engagement to a member of the Jewish family that owns the electronics retailer Darty.
Source: Haaretz.com, 08-09-2008
Berlin, Germany: Antisemitic Chants During a Football Game
August 09, 2008.
On Saturday, August 9th, football clubs Tennis Borussia Berlin and Energie Cottbus played each other in the first round of the German football cup in Berlin’s Mommsen stadium. The supporters of Energie, known for their right-wing tendencies, brought allies with them from other clubs with right-wing followings such as 1. FC Union Berlin, Victoria Frankfurt, and even Italy’s Lazio Roma.» Read more.
Nuhtetal (Brandenburg), Germany: Police Investigating After “Sieg Heil” Chants
August 09, 2008.
Three drunken men from Potsdam (19, 20 and 25 years old) were arrested on August 09 after chanting “Sieg Heil” and other racist remarks. The young men, who are known to the local police, then lit several fire crackers and an unknown substance that led to dense smoke emission. The investigation is ongoing.
Source: Tagesspiegel, 08-12-2008
Hohen Sprenz (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Germany: Police Closes Neo-Nazi Youth Camp
August 08, 2008.
On August 8th, after successful protests of local inhabitants, police shut down the youth camp of the right-wing extremist organization “Homeland-loyal German Youth” (Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend), close to the village of Hohen Sprenz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.» Read more.
Neuilly-Sur-Seine: Police Arrest Suspect for Antisemitic Graffiti Involving Jean Sarkozy
August 08, 2008.
French police arrested a man for allegedly scrawling “Sarkozy, Jewish thieves” on a courthouse in the latest slur directed at the French president’s son. Jean Sarkozy discovered the graffiti on the walls of the building in the Paris suburb where he is an elected official. The suspect in the case is a 63-year-old man who had already made antisemitic remarks to shopkeepers in the suburb.
The graffiti is likely to be connected to a controversy over suggestions in a satirical magazine that Jean Sarkozy, 21, was preparing to convert to Judaism following his engagement to a member of the Jewish family that owns electronics retailer Darty.
Source: Ejpress.org, 08-08-2008
Manchester, UK: Robbery at Kosher Deli
August 07, 2008.
Armed robbers threatened staff at a Manchester kosher deli before escaping with a till on the evening of August 7. Three men, carrying a knife and a hammer, entered the Shefa Mehadrin deli in Prestwich at around 8pm.
Cash was strewn over the pavement outside the Bury New Road premises, as the men fled in a car. Around 20 people were in the shop at the time. Police closed the store but it reopened an hour later, with shoppers returning to buy their Shabbat provisions. A 25-year-old man from Salford was arrested on suspicion of robbery and was released on police bail until September 21.
Sources: TheJC.com, 08-14-2008; Jüdische Allgemeine, 08-14-2008
Dresden (Saxony), Germany: Neo-Nazi Leaders Sentenced to Prison
August 06, 2008.
Two leaders of the right-wing extremist organization “Storm 34” (Sturm 34) were sentenced to prison on grounds of assault. The perpetrators, who are 20 and 23 years old, will have to serve sentences of three and a half and three years. A 19 year old assaulter received two years on probation and two others were found not to be guilty.» Read more.
Bucharest, Romania: Investigation Into Expo At Rumanian Institute In New York
August 05, 2008.
A Romanian official says he has ordered an investigation into a Romanian institute accused of displaying an antisemitic work of art in New York. At issue is a miniature pink pony with a black swastika on its flank. The state-funded Romanian Cultural Institute included it an exhibition called "Freedom for Lazy people," which features the work of three Romanian street artists. The miniature is drawing accusations of antisemitism. But the institute defends it, citing freedom of expression.
Source: International Herald Tribune, 08-05-2008
Rostock (Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania), Germany: Charges Pressed Against Soccer Fans of Rostock
August 05, 2008.
According to reports of Endstation-Rechts charges will be pressed against fans of the soccer club Hansa Rostock, some of whom allegedly sung the song “Today we own Germany and tomorrow the whole world” (“Heute gehört uns Deutschland und morgen die ganze Welt”) and performed the “Hitler salute”.
Source: Endstation-rechts.de, 08-05-2008
Greece: Antisemitic Hate-Mail Sent to Protagonist of TV-Show
August 01, 2008.
Charis Romas, protagonist and co-writer of the television series Deligiannio Parthenagogio, received an antisemitic letter accusing him of being “a friend of the Jews” and an “enemy of the nazi”. The unknown senders added two raw steaks to the letter. The television series Deligiannio Parthenagogio is a comedy set in Greece under the fascist dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas during the 1930s. Amongst the characters is a young Jewish student called Rosa Levi who faces antisemitism.
Sources: Abravnel.wordpress.com, 08-01-2008; deviousdiva.com, 08-01-2008
Lviv, Ukraine: Antisemitic Attack On Youth Program Office
July 31, 2008.
According to UCSJ's local monitor Meylakh Sheykhet a group of men broke into the office of the Jewish Youth program "Stars" On July 29th. The assailants broke windows. Two employees were severely beaten with metal sticks. The hooligans were screaming antisemitic slogans like: "Kikes leave Ukraine, Ukraine is occupied by Kikes" etc. The victims filed a report at the local police office.
Sources: Union of Councils for the Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 07-31-2008; JungeWelt.de, 08-08-2008
London, UK: First Sponsors Leaving Last.FM
July 31, 2008.
After having detected and reported on a large network of right-wing-extremist, antisemitic and xenophobic music bands and fans, Enstation Rechts now announced that several sponsors such as McDonalds, Napster, Stayfriends and Worldvision are leaving the music platform Last.fm and are terminating advertisements on their website.» Read more.
