Targeting the Jews

Ultra-nationalist politicians in Russia, a country with a long, violent history of anti-Semitism, are calling for a total ban on Jewish organizations:

A group of nationalist Russian lawmakers called yesterday for a sweeping investigation aimed at outlawing all Jewish organizations and punishing officials who support them, accusing Jews of fomenting ethnic hatred and saying they provoke anti-Semitism.

In a letter dated Jan. 13, about 20 members of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, asked Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov to investigate their claims and to launch proceedings "on the prohibition in our country of all religious and ethnic Jewish organizations as extremist."

The letter, faxed in part to The Associated Press by the office of lawmaker Alexander Krutov, said: "The negative assessments by Russian patriots of the qualities and actions against non-Jews that are typical of Jews correspond to the truth ... The statements and publications against Jews that have incriminated patriots are self-defence, which is not always stylistically correct but is justified in essence."

The stunning call to ban all Jewish groups raised concerns of persistent anti-Semitism in Russia.

Jewish leaders have praised President Vladimir Putin's government for encouraging religious tolerance, but rights groups accuse the authorities of failing to prosecute the perpetrators of anti-Semitic and racial violence.

Russia's chief rabbi, Berel Lazar, said lawmakers were looking for support "by playing the anti-Semitic card."

The prosecutor general's office could not be reached for comment on the letter, signed by lawmakers from the nationalist Rodina and Liberal Democratic parties as well as the Communist party.

With the 60th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation fast approaching, the Jew-haters of the world are showing their true colors.

Meanwhile, a few days after I first noticed it, I'm still stunned by the "moderate" Muslim Council of Britain's refusal to attend that nation's Auschwitz commemoration ceremony. Melanie Phillips, as you might expect (and hope), absolutely savages the MCB - and the disturbing, disingenuous rationale at least one Muslim Labour MP used to argue against its boycott.

Update: according to the Jerusalem Post, the Russian lawmakers in question have retracted their statement - which, it turns out, was even more disgustingly anti-Semitic than I had thought:

The Russian nationalist lawmakers who had signed a letter calling for an investigation into all Jewish organizations in the country – accusing Jews of inciting ethnic hatred and provoking anti-Semitism – have retracted their support for the letter, sources in Russia said.
[...]
Echoing anti-Semitic tracts of the Czarist era, the letter's authors accuse Jews of working against the interests of the countries where they live and of monopolizing power worldwide. They say the United States "has become an instrument for achieving the global aims of Judaism."

"It is possible to say that the entire democratic world today is under the monetary and political control of international Judaism, which high-profile bankers are openly proud of," the letter says.

Along with outlawing Jewish organizations, the lawmakers call for the prosecution of "individuals responsible for providing these groups with state and municipal property, privileges and state financing."

Posted by damian at January 25, 2005 08:03 AM