Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

JEWISH

‘Jews aren’t made to coexist’: Spanish writer

A controversial writer is facing legal action from Madrid's Jewish community after writing an opinion piece in a leading Spanish daily in which he justified the expulsion of Jews throughout history on the basis that they aren't made to "coexist".

Published: 29 July 2014 10:59 CEST

'Jews aren't made to coexist': Spanish writer

Spanish writer Antonio Gala caps off his short op-ed piece by saying "I am not a racist". Photo: Alex Slocker/Flickr

Antonio Gala, an eccentric Spanish playwright and author, has angered Spain’s Jewish community with a piece titled 'The chosen ones?' published in El Mundo.

The award-winning 83-year-old starts off by arguing that the Jewish people "could have done a lot of good for humanity: for their prudence, endurance, apparent religious fidelity and proven administration of money".

He then claims that what has always happened is that they end up troubling those they live with, "as if they weren't made to coexist".

"No matter what (the Jews) call their civil or military leaders" they always end up creating problems, he argues.

READ ALSO: "Shoot those bastard Zionists: Italian scholar

Gala then makes the only mention of the current Gaza conflict in his short op-ed piece, stating that "now it’s Gaza’s turn to suffer their abuses" thanks to the "pressure from a power situated elsewhere in the world and an invisible community of blood".

He caps off the piece by saying "I am not a racist".

READ ALSO: Spanish 'Jew Killer' town says yes to name change

The Times of Israel and Inews24 have quoted David Hatchwell, business mogul and president of Madrid’s Jewish community, as saying "we are familiar with this form of aggression and the consequences if the red line is crossed".

Hatchwell plans to use a clause in Spain’s legal code which prohibits anti-Semitic discourse to justify his organization’s lawsuit.

Both Israeli news sources mention the expulsion of Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal in 1492.

Last February, Spain's government offered Spanish citizenship to their descendants.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Jewish scholar Max Friedlaender's grave stone in Stahnsdorf, just outside Berlin, on October 12th.

Jewish scholar Max Friedlaender's grave stone in Stahnsdorf, just outside Berlin, on October 12th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Jens Kalaene

The remains of the neo-Nazi were buried at the grave of Max Friedlaender in Stahnsdorf, just outside Berlin, with several figures from the extreme-right scene in attendance at the funeral on Friday.

Samuel Salzborn, anti-Semitism official for Berlin, said late Tuesday that he had filed a criminal complaint because “the intention here is obvious – the right-wing extremists deliberately chose a Jewish grave to disturb the peace of the dead by burying a Holocaust denier there”.

He added that “it must now be quickly examined how quickly the Holocaust denier can be reburied in order to no longer disturb the dignified memory of Max Friedlaender”.

Friedlaender died in 1934 – when Adolf Hitler was already in power – and was buried in the graveyard as his religion was given as ‘Protestant’ in the burial registration slip

His grave was cleared upon expiration in 1980 and opened up for new burials, under common practice for plots after a certain amount of time has passed.

Friedlaender’s gravestone however remains standing as the entire cemetery is protected under monument conservative rules.

‘Mistake’

The Protestant Church managing the graveyard voiced dismay at the incident.

In a statement, it said it had accepted the request for burial at the empty grave because “everyone has a right for a final resting place”.

“Nevertheless, the choice of the former grave of Max Friedlaender is a mistake. We are looking into this mistake now,” the church said in a statement.

At the funeral, a black cloth was laid over Friedlaender’s tombstone while wreathes and ribbons bearing the Nazi-era iron cross symbol were laid on the grave for the neo-Nazi Henry Hafenmayer.

Prominent Holocaust denier Horst Mahler, who has been convicted for incitement, was among dozens at the funeral.

Police deployed at the funeral were able to arrest a fugitive from the far-right scene there, German media reported.

Several war graves stand at the cemetery at Stahnsdorf, and these sites are known in far-right circles, the Protestant church administrating the graveyard admitted.

It added that it has worked closely with police to hinder several neo-Nazi marches there in recent years.

READ ALSO: German hotel workers probed after singer’s anti-Semitism complaint

Url copied to clipboard!