Antisemitism at Anti-War-Demo
osi | 30.09.2002 19:40
My first impression of the anti-war-demonstration at saturday was the enormous amount of posters from the Socialist Workers Party and other trotzkist groups. The second impression was the posters from the Muslim Federation of Britain and some self created banners for the "Solidarity with Palastine". I want to say at first, that I know, that Sharon is a murder, rigth-wing-militarist and a war criminal, that he and his party is a big problem for the peace in Israel/Palastine, but... And about this but I will make somme comments.
I will start with the strong examples. There was one poster with a picture of Sharon and a citation of Bush, that he believes Sharon is "a man of peace". The picture of Sharon was modified with red eyes and devil-like bared teeth. Someone who has seen some pictures of the Nazi-images of the devil jew, would have seen the similarities. Those posters transport not that is Sharon is a bad man. Instead of that they show the the jewish devil, who wants to eat children. This is a clear anti-semitc stereotype.
Other banners show sign like "Sharon the new Hitler", "Stop the Palastinien Holocaust" and "Filfot/Hakenkreuz-symbol = Star of David-symbol". I DO NOT deny that there are war criminal acts, a terrible conflict and a lot of suffering at Palastine. BUT the Holocaust, the systematical and bureaucratic organized murder of six million jews, the concentrations and death camps in Mauthausen, Dachau, Treblinka and Ausschwitz, were a complete different "quality" of crime. The industrial murder of six million jews and millions of other people is not compareable with the conflict in Israel/Palastine! Because of that, a equalisation of the Nazi crimes and the crimes of Israel is wrong and dangerous. It relativises the Nazi crimes!
I want to stress another point. Peace for Palastine is no doubt a very important goal. But also is peace for Israel an important goal. My impression was, that the perspective on this conflict at the demonstration was very one-sighted. The inhuman atttacs of palastinian self-murders of cililians in Israel in restaurants, buses and shops were not seen as criminal acts, or at least understandable. I am not sure about that, but I believe to recognize some symbols of the radical palastinian Hamas and Dschihad organisation. These groups are responsible for the murder of innocent people, as well as Sharon. They organise the self-murder attacks. Due to that it should be a problem for left or emancipator people - and it is a problem to me - to demonstrate togehter with members or sympathisers of those groups.
I would be glad to get some comments and opinions to the ideas of this article.
I will start with the strong examples. There was one poster with a picture of Sharon and a citation of Bush, that he believes Sharon is "a man of peace". The picture of Sharon was modified with red eyes and devil-like bared teeth. Someone who has seen some pictures of the Nazi-images of the devil jew, would have seen the similarities. Those posters transport not that is Sharon is a bad man. Instead of that they show the the jewish devil, who wants to eat children. This is a clear anti-semitc stereotype.
Other banners show sign like "Sharon the new Hitler", "Stop the Palastinien Holocaust" and "Filfot/Hakenkreuz-symbol = Star of David-symbol". I DO NOT deny that there are war criminal acts, a terrible conflict and a lot of suffering at Palastine. BUT the Holocaust, the systematical and bureaucratic organized murder of six million jews, the concentrations and death camps in Mauthausen, Dachau, Treblinka and Ausschwitz, were a complete different "quality" of crime. The industrial murder of six million jews and millions of other people is not compareable with the conflict in Israel/Palastine! Because of that, a equalisation of the Nazi crimes and the crimes of Israel is wrong and dangerous. It relativises the Nazi crimes!
I want to stress another point. Peace for Palastine is no doubt a very important goal. But also is peace for Israel an important goal. My impression was, that the perspective on this conflict at the demonstration was very one-sighted. The inhuman atttacs of palastinian self-murders of cililians in Israel in restaurants, buses and shops were not seen as criminal acts, or at least understandable. I am not sure about that, but I believe to recognize some symbols of the radical palastinian Hamas and Dschihad organisation. These groups are responsible for the murder of innocent people, as well as Sharon. They organise the self-murder attacks. Due to that it should be a problem for left or emancipator people - and it is a problem to me - to demonstrate togehter with members or sympathisers of those groups.
I would be glad to get some comments and opinions to the ideas of this article.
osi
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