Antisemitismus

Czech court rules in favor of songwriter's widow, xenophobic band loses prize named after him without authorization

22.6.2018 8:40 The Czech organization that gave a music award named after the songwriter Karel Kryl to the frontman for the xenophobic Ortel band, Tomáš Ortel, have lost their appeal of the lawsuit filed against them by the songwriter's widow. The Gold Award for the Legacy of Karel Kryl was given to Ortel last spring by a group called People for the People (Lidé lidem) that actually was not authorized to use the songwriter's name at all.
 full story

Germany: Trial begins of Syrian citizen who assaulted man wearing yarmulke

20.6.2018 10:50 Accompanied by great media interest, the trial began yesterday in Berlin of a 19-year-old Syrian who assaulted two youths wearing yarmulkes in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood in April. The accused has admitted committing the crime, expressed regret for it, and assured the court that he does not hate Jewish people.  full story

videoGermany: Three assailants attack two youths wearing yarmulkes in the capital

22.4.2018 14:35 Deutsche-Presse Agentur (DPA) reported on 18 April that three unidentified assailants attacked two youths wearing yarmulkes, the traditional Jewish head covering for men, in Berlin. One of those assaulted was an Israeli citizen who filmed the incident.  full story

Analysis: Czech Fascists and fascisizing politicians, yesterday and today (Part One)

25.3.2018 17:47 The Czech Republic is heading toward authoritarian government. The prime movers in this respect are Czech President Miloš Zeman, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš,
Czech MP Tomio Okamura and his "Freedom and Direct Democracy" (SPD), supported by the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM).  full story

Czech presidential candidate sends convicted antisemite as his "spokesperson" to debate

5.1.2018 16:47 The online news portal iDNES.cz has acquiesced to the requests of the campaign team backing the incumbent, Czech President Zeman, who has refused to participate in any debates prior to this month's presidential elections - so iDNES.cz is now holding such discussions among the press spokespersons of all the candidates, not between the candidates themselves. Candidate Petr Hannig has now sent a convicted antisemite, Adam B. Bartoš, to represent him during such a debate.  full story

Provocateur calls sale of former Roma genocide site to the Czech state a form of "antisemitism", Jewish community disagrees

28.11.2017 19:30 Jaroslav Novák is a founder of the "Freedom and Direct Democracy" (SPD) party, a close collaborator with its chair, Tomio Okamura, and is himself the chair of the Memorial to the Shoah and Oskar Schindler Foundation, and he is alleging that by buying the pig farm on the Roma genocide site at Lety u Písku the Czech state has harmed itself. Shortly after the purchase agreement was signed he filed a criminal report with the Supreme State Prosecutor in the matter.  full story

Commentary: By honoring Zeman, US Jewish organization is promoting the fascisization of Czech society

25.9.2017 9:57 It is always sad when educated, intelligent people lose their judgment thanks to the larger atmosphere in which they operate. A Jewish organization based in the USA has recently given Czech President Miloš Zeman an award calling him a "Warrior for Truth".  full story

Commentary: Czech politician takes photo with extremists who have records of racist violence

31.8.2017 9:52 There is a great deal that could be written about the long career of Czech politician Jiří Čunek. Some of his fellow Christian Democratic Party members (KDU-ČSL) look up to him, while others would be glad to kick him out if they only could.  full story

Commentary: Czech politician calls police on American couple - because they're black

28.8.2017 12:59 Earlier this month a local councilor in Hodonín, Roman Sedlačík, caused an uproar by doing something unbelievable. He is a member of the conservative nationalist movement called the "Order of the Nation" (Řád národa), which has become "famous" for making a lot of racist noise, including Holocaust denial.  full story

Slovak Prosecutor-General files motion to dissolve Kotleba's party

1.6.2017 13:19 The Slovak Prosecutor-General has filed a motion with the court to dissolve the ultra-right Kotleba-Lidová strana Naše Slovensko (Kotleba-People's Party Our Slovakia,
or LSNS). The party is currently seated in Parliament.  full story

USA: Number of cases of anti-Semitism grows since Trump elected

26.4.2017 7:50 Yesterday the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States has been significantly growing since last year's
presidential campaign and the subsequent victory of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump. During 2016, according to the ADL, 34 % more such cases happened compared to 2015.  full story

Czech Police investigating anonymous antisemitic letter in Prostějov

20.2.2017 6:26 Police are investigating the circumstances of an anonymous letter full of antisemitic insults and vulgarities that has been sent to different people in Prostějov in connection with the sometimes passionate discussion about how to arrange for dignified remembrance at the site of the former Jewish cemetery near the local school. Representatives of an American philanthropic foundation, Kolel Damesek Eliezer, which is attempting to rehabilitate the Jewish cemetery, are planning to report a crime because of the anonymous letter that has been addressed to bureaucrats and residents of Prostějov.  full story

Slovakia: MP for fascist party criticizes recipients of state honors because of their origins and work

16.1.2017 10:17 Stanislav Mizík, an MP with the fascist party called "Kotleba-People's Party our Slovakia" (LSNS) has criticized Slovak President Andrej Kiska for awarding high state honors to figures such as film director Juraj Jerz and the Czech musician Michael Kocáb. The MP justified his criticism by stating that those honored were of Jewish origin and by disparaging their activities.  full story

Germany: Researchers find there were more victims of the Holocaust than previously believed

3.1.2017 8:46 The number of victims of the Holocaust from the Jewish communities living on the territory of the German Reich is approximately 15 000 more than has heretofore been reported. According to the German news server Spiegel Online, researchers from Germany's Federal Archive announced the findings on the basis of a detailed study of the fates of individual Jewish people living in Nazi Germany.  full story

Czech court overturns fine against attorney who objected to expert by alleging he was Jewish

7.12.2016 14:08 The attorney Petr Kočí has successfully appealed a fine against him for alleging court expert Michal Mazel was of Jewish origin. The attorney was defending a member of an ultra-right party and claimed Mazel's alleged origin would bias him against the defendant  full story

Czech expert testifies that activists' sign was anti-Jewish incitement

19.10.2016 6:48 In Jihlava yesterday the trial opened in the case of the chair of the ultra-right National Democracy (ND) party, Adam B. Bartoš and his former vice-chair, Ladislav Zemánek. The indictment was read and the accused gave testimony.  full story

Poland: German television series sued for scenes depicting Polish anti-Semitism during WWII

20.7.2016 7:17 The Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reports that on 18 July the civil trial began at a court in Kraków of the producers of a German television series set during the Second World War and German television station ZDF. A Polish veterans' association and Zbigniew Radlowski, now 92 years old, who was a Polish resistance fighter during the war, have sued the producers of the television program over scenes depicting Polish anti-Semitism.  full story

Czech right-wing radicals found guilty of inciting hatred of Jewish people, will appeal

16.3.2016 23:47 The chair of the ultra-right National Democracy party, Adam B. Bartoš, and his fellow party member Ladislav Zemánek are guilty of making anti-Jewish statements at the grave of Anežka Hrůzová in the Czech town of Polná. Judge Tereza Jedličková of Jihlava has handed down the verdict, which has yet to take effect.  full story

European Court of Human Rights: Freedom of speech does not include Holocaust denial

11.11.2015 18:17 The European Court of Human Rights has rejected an appeal from comedian Dieudonné Mbala Mbala against the fact that the French justice system has fined him for disseminating hatred. Freedom of speech, according to the Court, does not cover anti-Semitism or Holocaust denial.  full story

Belgium charges French comedian over racist remarks

15.10.2015 19:59 The Belga press agency reports that controversial French comedian Dieudonné has been charged with using anti-Semitic, discriminatory speech during a performance in Belgium and faces prison time of up to six months without parole should he be convicted. "His performance is full of so many defamatory, offensive expressions that it makes one want to vomit," said Damien Leboutte, the prosecutor in Liège, when reading the indictment.  full story