The Wiesenthal Centre put out a press release about the ongoing hate crime in Malmö. The SWC, which visited Sweden and met with Malmö authorities last week, has blasted Mayor Reepalu for instigating tensions and failing to do anything. SIJ offers its readers key excerpts from the SWC press release.
Addressing Reepalu, for blaming Israel and the Jews for hate crimes perpetrated against Jews in Malmö, SWC states:
"-Your Import of Foreign Conflicts into Malmo Political discourse has exacerbated inter-community tensions and the Potential Risks, in particular, to your Jewish Citizens."
Regarding Reepalu’s handing of Malmö’s hate crime epidemic, SWC condemns his:
"- obfuscation of responsibility in regard to his Jewish citizens, passing the fault for any public apprehension - including those we heard among Muslim and Roma leaders in his city - onto "Stockholm", "the police", etc."
On dishonesty regarding policy:
"- your charge that the exclusion of spectators from the Sweden-Israel Davis Cup heat in an empty stadium was instigated by the police, has been emphatically denied by Malmo law enforcement.”
On opening his mouth again, only to have slurs fly out:
“- your comment…regarding 'the powerful Wiesenthal Centre's influence', is redolent of conspiracy theories current against Jews in the 1930's.”
The release also reiterated the measures needed to reduce hate crime in Malmö, and concluded:
"Mr. Mayor, the status quo is intolerable. We still hope that you will seriously begin to address these matters before the first review of our 'travel advisory' comes up in June."
We share SWC’s hope for a substantial improvement in the situation in Malmö, but we don’t see anything in either Reepalu’s record or attitude that makes this likely.
By Chanah Shapira
But if the jewish community in Malmö demonstrates under the israeli flag, does not they import foreign conflicts and exacerberate inter-community tensions? Why then blaming Reepalu för that? Take a look att your own behaviour first.
ReplyDeleteSo what you are saying Maestro is because of Muslim pro-Gaza sentiments, no Jew should express a contrary position? And every Jew who is identifiably Jewish is a demonstrator? Many Muslims are very vocally pro-Hamas which is a terror organization. So if Stockholm was attacked by a Muslim terrorist, does that give Stockholm residents a right to attack any Muslim?
ReplyDeleteAre you suggesting that free specch should be limited?
There's a big gap between Swedish Jews holding a pro-Israeli peace rally, and haters attacking any random Jews because of alleged ills of Israeli policy.