Göttingen (Lower Saxony), Germany: German professor claims Israeli athletes sacrificed themselves in Munich massacre

Professor Arnd Krüger, director of the Institute for Sport Studies in Göttingen, claimed that the 11 Israeli athletes massacred by Palestinian terrorists on September 5 1972 at the Munich Olympic Games knew of the attack in advance but still sacrificed themselves.

According to the German weekly “Der Spiegel” Krüger said during an academic conference that “the athletes sacrificed themselves in Israel’s service” because they had knowledge of the planned massacre. Kruger supported his claim with sociological explanations. He said that Israelis have a “different perception of the body” and that “Israel is trying to prevent at all costs living with disabilities” and has a higher abortion rate than other Western countries do.

Ilan Mor from the Israeli embassy in Berlin told “Der Spiegel” that Krüger’s remarks are a symptom of the “rampant antisemitism in Germany, often veiled under criticism of Israel”. Furthermore he called on the university management to take disciplinary action against Krüger.

The German Sports Association called Krüger’s remarks “unfortunate.”

Sources: Spiegel Online, 06-28-2008; Haaretz, 06-30-2008

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