Pegida and Zionism – a Natural Alliance
The
article below, from Electronic Intifada, describes an Israeli man speaking at a
Pegida (anti-Muslim) rally in Germany.
In the course of his racist rant he forgives those he is addressing for
the minor matter of the holocaust as it is Muslims who are the main enemy.
article below, from Electronic Intifada, describes an Israeli man speaking at a
Pegida (anti-Muslim) rally in Germany.
In the course of his racist rant he forgives those he is addressing for
the minor matter of the holocaust as it is Muslims who are the main enemy.
 |
| Israeli fascists attack anti-war demonstration in Tel Aviv |
This
is of course natural and understandable.
When you engage in colonialism and the occupation and oppression of
others, it is natural that you will identify with other imperialists. Zionism during the holocaust collaborated and
in the case of the Stern Gang/Lehi, offered them a military pact. Today, 70 years later, it is understandable
that ideology and practice come together.
Tony
Greenstein
Greenstein
Video: Israeli man
describes Muslims as Nazis at far-right rally in Frankfurt
Submitted
by Rania Khalek on Tue, 02/03/2015 – 11:09
by Rania Khalek on Tue, 02/03/2015 – 11:09
Ein Israeli spricht bzw. brüllt für Pegida
Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Addressing
a recent rally in Frankfurt, a self-identified Israeli man equated Muslims with
Nazis, murderers and rapists, and implored the crowd to “never feel ashamed” of
Germany’s past.
a recent rally in Frankfurt, a self-identified Israeli man equated Muslims with
Nazis, murderers and rapists, and implored the crowd to “never feel ashamed” of
Germany’s past.
The rally
was called by Pegida, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the
West, a far-right organization founded last October in Dresden. Its
demonstrations initially attracted hundreds of people protesting what they
believe is Islam’s takeover of Germany. More recently, the number of people to
attend has been in the thousands.
was called by Pegida, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the
West, a far-right organization founded last October in Dresden. Its
demonstrations initially attracted hundreds of people protesting what they
believe is Islam’s takeover of Germany. More recently, the number of people to
attend has been in the thousands.
 |
| Neo-Nazis give the traditional salute – at Yad Vashem, the Israeli memorial to the holocaust dead |
An
assortment of rightwing groups, including
neo-Nazis, have been taking part. Following the attacks on the paper
Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in Paris last month, a 12 January
rally drew more than 25,000 people.
assortment of rightwing groups, including
neo-Nazis, have been taking part. Following the attacks on the paper
Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in Paris last month, a 12 January
rally drew more than 25,000 people.
A video,
which was posted to YouTube by Journal Frankfurt last week, shows a man,
wrapped in a German flag, describing himself as an Israeli with German heritage
during a Pegida rally.
which was posted to YouTube by Journal Frankfurt last week, shows a man,
wrapped in a German flag, describing himself as an Israeli with German heritage
during a Pegida rally.
“I come
from Israel. Germany is yours!” he tells the crowd, to thunderous cheers.
from Israel. Germany is yours!” he tells the crowd, to thunderous cheers.
He
continues: “Germany’s not Nazis. I am Jewish. My family lived here in Germany
for 700 years. And I can tell you that I see here no Nazis. The Nazis are in
the left.
continues: “Germany’s not Nazis. I am Jewish. My family lived here in Germany
for 700 years. And I can tell you that I see here no Nazis. The Nazis are in
the left.
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| Neo-Nazis wave Israeli flag
“Right
here I see only patriots who love their country and want to save Germany from the Islam that wants to take over, to take your traditions, to take your beliefs, to take all of you down. But we will not let it.”
|
After
naming Muslims as the true Nazis, the man goes on to forgive Germany for the
Nazi-led genocide of European Jews during the Second World War.
naming Muslims as the true Nazis, the man goes on to forgive Germany for the
Nazi-led genocide of European Jews during the Second World War.
 |
| Israeli Jewish neo-Nazis wear the symbols of their comrades in Europe |
“We will
stand together and we will face the real Nazis. The Nazis are inside the Islam
mentality and those who want to sell Germany for votes,” he says, adding,
“Israel is with Germany. We respect you, we forgive, we love you. You are the
best country in the world. Save it.”
stand together and we will face the real Nazis. The Nazis are inside the Islam
mentality and those who want to sell Germany for votes,” he says, adding,
“Israel is with Germany. We respect you, we forgive, we love you. You are the
best country in the world. Save it.”
“All the
world is looking at you now and we are proud. You are the true spirit of
Germany,” he snarls.
world is looking at you now and we are proud. You are the true spirit of
Germany,” he snarls.
“Islam wants to take you and to drink from the milk of
Germany.”
Germany.”
As the
hate sermon continues, the man implores the crowd to “Never feel ashamed of
yourselves, not even because of the past.”
hate sermon continues, the man implores the crowd to “Never feel ashamed of
yourselves, not even because of the past.”
He then
declares himself a proud Islamophobe while advancing a blood libel against
Muslims, characterizing them as rapists and murderers who must be
feared.
declares himself a proud Islamophobe while advancing a blood libel against
Muslims, characterizing them as rapists and murderers who must be
feared.
“The
Muslims say that we are Islamophobes. Yes, I am Islamophobe because phobia
is fear and I am afraid of murder. I am afraid to be raped,” he roars.
Muslims say that we are Islamophobes. Yes, I am Islamophobe because phobia
is fear and I am afraid of murder. I am afraid to be raped,” he roars.
“So they
can call you Islamophobes, they can call you Nazis and racists. But we are not.
We are Germans. We are patriots. We love this country.”
can call you Islamophobes, they can call you Nazis and racists. But we are not.
We are Germans. We are patriots. We love this country.”
“Antifa
[German slang for anti-fascists], fuck you! We are stronger! We will
win!”
[German slang for anti-fascists], fuck you! We are stronger! We will
win!”
Mosque defaced with swastikas
As
smaller Pegida offshoots spread to other parts of the country, they have
sometimes been met with even larger anti-racist counter-demonstrations.
smaller Pegida offshoots spread to other parts of the country, they have
sometimes been met with even larger anti-racist counter-demonstrations.
Yet
Pegida’s reach is growing as the group held its first demonstration in Austria, on Monday
night. In the lead-up to the march, vandals defaced a Vienna mosque with swastikas. This was
just the latest in a string of anti-Islam attacks across Austria. “In December
unknown culprits left a pig’s head and intestines in front of the door of
another mosque in the capital. A street sign was changed to read ‘Sharia
Street’ in September,” the news agency AFP reported.
Pegida’s reach is growing as the group held its first demonstration in Austria, on Monday
night. In the lead-up to the march, vandals defaced a Vienna mosque with swastikas. This was
just the latest in a string of anti-Islam attacks across Austria. “In December
unknown culprits left a pig’s head and intestines in front of the door of
another mosque in the capital. A street sign was changed to read ‘Sharia
Street’ in September,” the news agency AFP reported.
In recent
years, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant incitement has become a rallying cry of
the increasingly popular rightwing elements undergoing a resurgence across
Europe. Although many right-wing European parties have neo-Nazi and
anti-Semitic roots, they identify deeply with Israel and Zionism, which are
often used as vehicles to promote hatred for Islam and multiculturalism in
Europe as well as the United States.
years, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant incitement has become a rallying cry of
the increasingly popular rightwing elements undergoing a resurgence across
Europe. Although many right-wing European parties have neo-Nazi and
anti-Semitic roots, they identify deeply with Israel and Zionism, which are
often used as vehicles to promote hatred for Islam and multiculturalism in
Europe as well as the United States.
In some
cases, formerly anti-Semitic political parties have seamlessly projected the
anti-Semitic rhetoric they once espoused against Jews onto Muslim
communities.
cases, formerly anti-Semitic political parties have seamlessly projected the
anti-Semitic rhetoric they once espoused against Jews onto Muslim
communities.
Speaking
to the media on the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz,
Mattias Karlsson, leader of the far-right Swedish Democrats (SD), said, “the threat of Islamism is perhaps greater
than it is from Nazism.”
to the media on the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz,
Mattias Karlsson, leader of the far-right Swedish Democrats (SD), said, “the threat of Islamism is perhaps greater
than it is from Nazism.”
Rooted in
fascism and the country’s neo-Nazi movement, SD captured 13 percent of the vote in the last general
election, making it the third most popular political party in Sweden.
fascism and the country’s neo-Nazi movement, SD captured 13 percent of the vote in the last general
election, making it the third most popular political party in Sweden.
Kent
Ekerot, an SD member and Jewish parliamentarian, has helped forge his party’s
close relationship with the Israeli government. Although SD leaders
continue to espouse anti-Jewish attitudes, Ekerot insists that
anti-Semitism in Sweden is entirely “imported” and a result of “unrestricted
immigration” of Arabs and Muslims, which he and his party fervently oppose.
Ekerot, an SD member and Jewish parliamentarian, has helped forge his party’s
close relationship with the Israeli government. Although SD leaders
continue to espouse anti-Jewish attitudes, Ekerot insists that
anti-Semitism in Sweden is entirely “imported” and a result of “unrestricted
immigration” of Arabs and Muslims, which he and his party fervently oppose.
Emran
Feroz, a journalist based in Germany, detailed the convergence of pro-Israel
attitudes and right-wing European Islamophobia in an article for AlterNet last month:
Feroz, a journalist based in Germany, detailed the convergence of pro-Israel
attitudes and right-wing European Islamophobia in an article for AlterNet last month:
Right-wing
parties like the Austrian FPÖ [Freedom Party] have discovered that it is much
easier for them to spread their hatred beneath pro-Israel cover. For instance,
the FPÖ made it clear that “supporting the Jewish State against Islamism” has
become one of their new political pillars. Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s
National Front, has learned the same lesson, scrapping her father’s overt
anti-Semitism and opposition to Europe’s special relationship with Israel and
replacing it with an aggressively neoconservative outlook. In turn, she has
attracted support from right-wing French Jews and cultivated a mainstream
appeal her father [Jean-Marie Le Pen] could have only dreamed of. But the
seething racism that was a hallmark of her father’s politics remains firmly
entrenched in the platform of her National Front.
parties like the Austrian FPÖ [Freedom Party] have discovered that it is much
easier for them to spread their hatred beneath pro-Israel cover. For instance,
the FPÖ made it clear that “supporting the Jewish State against Islamism” has
become one of their new political pillars. Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s
National Front, has learned the same lesson, scrapping her father’s overt
anti-Semitism and opposition to Europe’s special relationship with Israel and
replacing it with an aggressively neoconservative outlook. In turn, she has
attracted support from right-wing French Jews and cultivated a mainstream
appeal her father [Jean-Marie Le Pen] could have only dreamed of. But the
seething racism that was a hallmark of her father’s politics remains firmly
entrenched in the platform of her National Front.
Geert
Wilders and his Party of Freedom [in the Netherlands] were among the leaders of
the European far-right’s alliance with Israel’s rightist Likud. In an interview
with The Jerusalem Post’s Benjamin Weinthal, an American neoconservative
operative funded by right-wing billionaire Sheldon Adelson, Wilders declared
that Israel is the “only light of democracy in the Middle East.” He then
demanded that the European Union and the United States stand by Israel’s side
in the clash of civilizations — a war pitting the “Judeo-Christian” West
against Islam. Wilders declared that the name of the state of Palestine should
be changed to “Jordan,” suggesting that Palestinians either be forcibly
expelled from their homes or stripped of national identity. In 2014, Wilders
agitated unsuccessfully but flamboyantly for a commemoration for former Israeli
prime minister Ariel Sharon in the Dutch parliament.
Wilders and his Party of Freedom [in the Netherlands] were among the leaders of
the European far-right’s alliance with Israel’s rightist Likud. In an interview
with The Jerusalem Post’s Benjamin Weinthal, an American neoconservative
operative funded by right-wing billionaire Sheldon Adelson, Wilders declared
that Israel is the “only light of democracy in the Middle East.” He then
demanded that the European Union and the United States stand by Israel’s side
in the clash of civilizations — a war pitting the “Judeo-Christian” West
against Islam. Wilders declared that the name of the state of Palestine should
be changed to “Jordan,” suggesting that Palestinians either be forcibly
expelled from their homes or stripped of national identity. In 2014, Wilders
agitated unsuccessfully but flamboyantly for a commemoration for former Israeli
prime minister Ariel Sharon in the Dutch parliament.
This hate
is not isolated to the far-right, which only represents the most bellicose
strain of an Islamophobia that is entrenched within the supposedly enlightened
mainstream.
is not isolated to the far-right, which only represents the most bellicose
strain of an Islamophobia that is entrenched within the supposedly enlightened
mainstream.
As The
Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah has reported, the French authorities are
targeting Muslims, including small children, in a draconian, authoritarian crackdown on free speech.
Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah has reported, the French authorities are
targeting Muslims, including small children, in a draconian, authoritarian crackdown on free speech.
Nor is
the hate isolated to Europe.
the hate isolated to Europe.
From Dresden to Austin
On 29
January, when Muslim men, women and children from across Texas gathered in
Austin to meet with lawmakers and learn about the political process during the
seventh annual Texas Muslim Capitol Day, they were met with anti-Islam
protesters waving Texas and Israeli flags and holding
signs that read, “Radical Islam is the new Nazi” and “Go home & take Obama
with you.”
January, when Muslim men, women and children from across Texas gathered in
Austin to meet with lawmakers and learn about the political process during the
seventh annual Texas Muslim Capitol Day, they were met with anti-Islam
protesters waving Texas and Israeli flags and holding
signs that read, “Radical Islam is the new Nazi” and “Go home & take Obama
with you.”
As Muslim
schoolchildren sang the American national anthem, the demonstrators shouted in their faces, “Islam is a lie!”
and “No Sharia here!”
schoolchildren sang the American national anthem, the demonstrators shouted in their faces, “Islam is a lie!”
and “No Sharia here!”
Prior to
the hate fest, Texas lawmaker Molly White took to Facebook to say that despite
being away for recess she instructed her staff to subject Muslim constituents
to loyalty oaths as a condition of entering her office, where she left an
Israeli flag on her desk as an apparent symbol of her allegiance to
America.
the hate fest, Texas lawmaker Molly White took to Facebook to say that despite
being away for recess she instructed her staff to subject Muslim constituents
to loyalty oaths as a condition of entering her office, where she left an
Israeli flag on her desk as an apparent symbol of her allegiance to
America.
“I did
leave an Israeli flag on the reception desk in my office with instructions to
staff to ask representatives from the Muslim community to renounce Islamic
terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws,”
White wrote on her Facebook page. “We will see how long
they stay in my office.”
leave an Israeli flag on the reception desk in my office with instructions to
staff to ask representatives from the Muslim community to renounce Islamic
terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws,”
White wrote on her Facebook page. “We will see how long
they stay in my office.”
This
followed a similar anti-Muslim demonstration in Texas last month. As The
Electronic Intifada’s Patrick Strickland reported at the time, the Israeli
flag was waved alongside the American flag by white Christian extremists to
signify their hatred for Muslims.
followed a similar anti-Muslim demonstration in Texas last month. As The
Electronic Intifada’s Patrick Strickland reported at the time, the Israeli
flag was waved alongside the American flag by white Christian extremists to
signify their hatred for Muslims.
Israel
is not responsible for the anti-Muslim hatred sweeping the West. But its
role as a symbol of and cover for hate reflects shared values and a
growing alliance between support for Israel and right-wing hatred for
Islam in the West.
is not responsible for the anti-Muslim hatred sweeping the West. But its
role as a symbol of and cover for hate reflects shared values and a
growing alliance between support for Israel and right-wing hatred for
Islam in the West.
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