French Jewish Graves Desecrated with Nazi Slogans

[tritsofme]

By Gilbert Reilhac
STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - Vandals desecrated 127 graves with Nazi swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans in a Jewish cemetery close to the French border with Germany, officials said on Friday.

"Juden raus" -- "Jews out" in German -- was written above the entrance gate to the cemetery, and two German flags and the Nazi slogan "One Reich, One People, One Leader" in German were also found on the site.

President Jacques Chirac pledged tough penalties for those behind what he called "horrific and intolerable" acts, which come amid a political row between the French left and right over their records in combating anti-Semitism.

Swastikas, the name of Adolf Hitler and the SS initials of his elite guard were etched or painted onto tombstones in the Herrlisheim cemetery near the town of Colmar, 20 km (12 miles) from the German border.....

"The old demons are re-emerging and this cemetery is tangible evidence of that," said Pierre Dreyfus, a local Jewish leader in the Upper Rhine region.

<snip>
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5004288


Utterly disturbing.

[Cassandra]

1. "Juden raus" ??

Are they supposed to get up and walk? Not just distubing but stupid.

[Rochambeau]

2. Disturbing? No, disgusting and ignominious!

:cry: :cry: :cry:

EDIT: No offense to the poster and thanks for posting that!

[dedhed]

3. Typical Nazi cowards!

Slither out of their holes in the middle of the night to paint on tombstones... none of those witnesses will be talking!

[bleedingheart]

16. quite right...dead people don't normally fight back

it is just so stupid and disturbing.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Completely disgusting

Some people have no shame. Dishonoring the dead in such a manner is vile and loathsome.

[Rochambeau]

5. Fortunatly the neo-nazis groups

are well knowned by the police. I hope they will work fast.
What is sad also is that this story will be on the front page of every isreali newspaper (wich is completly normal!) but when the bastards will be in jail it will make two lines on the last page (if even it's reported)....And the pro-Sharon press(and many other media will follow) will keep on printing that "France" is antisemit and do nothing, just because we hate Sharon as much as we hate Bush....

[nodehopper]

6. well...as a culture France has a history of anti-semitism

Does not make Sharon right, does not make the behavior of our press excusable, but let's call a spade a spade. France is anti-semitic in a similar way that American culture is racist...with lots of lip service to the contrary but with an always sublimated underlying current.

Before someone says it, no, I am not saying all French people are anti-semitic. I am talking about the historical sociocultural ethos.

[Rochambeau]

7. Sorry but it is not true.

It would take pages and pages of debate to talk about this but sorry I can let you say that. I don't deny that antisemitism exist in France since France is a country, I don't deny (wich is more important to me) that antisemitism is increasing dangerously in France since the beginning of the second intifada. But to say that "France is anti-semitic in a similar way that American culture is racist...with lots of lip service to the contrary but with an always sublimated underlying current." is not true, clear and simple, let's call a spade a spade.
It's completly different to say that there is and there has always be antisemitsm in France and even that it is increasing now from saying "France is anti-semitic..." even if it is very "fashionned" in Israel today.
Your way to talk about that is very symptomatic of the damages of a certain propaganda. But you may not even realise that...
Just one short exemple, not very important but very symptomatic anyway, your way to compare "France" (a country, a nation), with the american "culture" .
Why?
1st: because you know that to say "French culture is antisemitic in a similar way that american culture..." would make you look completly uneducated.
2nd: to say "France is anti-semitic in a similar way that USA is racist..." would completly discredit your statement. So you make, uncounsciently certainly, a comfortable mix of the two wich, first, is untrue, but even more, camouflage an opinion (highly debatable) into a kind of fact commonly admitted (wich is the case in Israel now!! That is the problem !!!)
Sorry, I don't accuse you, I just think that you are uncounscienstly the victim of a well organized and wide spred propaganda.

[nodehopper]

8. ok, I was with you until

the bit about propaganda and how I don't realize I have been indoctrinated. That's not a respectful way of constructing argument, ever. I agree with you that it would take pages and pages of sources to support our points, but calling my point of view propaganda is neither constructive, nor respectful. I am sure you could share with me sources I have not seen, and I could do the same for you. I thought I unpacked my statement with enough caveats. Would you deny that American culture is, historically, racist in ways that manifest outside of official institutions that have been created to combat the racism? That does not mean everyone in America is racist, obviously, but those proclivities exist in our culture in little, unconscious ways that occasionally emerge explicitly. I think the same is true for France when it comes to anti-semitism.

Also, you say that you can't let me say that, but you offer nothing to the contrary except "it's not true." It is, obviously, a matter of interpretation. But my interpretation, as a student of history and human culture is as I stated in the previous post. I am not saying France is unique in this--historical forces have shaped this paradigm into existence in several countries in Europe.

I could just as easily say that you are the victim of propaganda, too. But what would be the point? That won't convince you of anything. It's a pointless, zombie argument to present. Neither here, nor there.

[Rochambeau]

9. I'm not naive, I perfectly know that I'm also, on many fields, victim

of propaganda that's why my statement was absolutly not to insult you or be rude and I would accept any argument that show me how or how far I'm victim of propaganda from someone who can (for exemple, an american, pointing some errors in my vision or opinions of USA since anti-americanism propaganda in France is wide spred and I can't imagine myself not be more or less victim of it.) So, sorry again if I appeared to you as insulting or arrogant, it was absolutly not my purpose.

About the substance AND the form I agree with what you say about american culture, I just don't agree with your way to compare it to "France". Let try it again : would you accept that as your "interpretation" (thank you for using that word b.t.w) : "Would you deny that France is, historically, antisemit in ways that manifest outside of official institutions that have been created to combat the racism?" ?
I don't. Sorry but "France" is not that. And once again it would take to long and to many pages to argue about that with you, even if it would be a pleasure (I was student in History (Maîtrise) and I'm jew).
I only agree (with the same kind of precautions about french culture you certainly use about american culture and the word "our" too.) on that : "... but those proclivities exist in our culture in little, unconscious ways that occasionally emerge explicitly."
You can admit I imagine that it is a bit "different" from stating, calling a spade a spade you said, "France is anti-semitic..." can you?

The only comparison between USA and France that comes first to my mind is about civil wars. France is certainly the only contry that barely turns into a civil-war about antisemitism during the Dreyfus affair (you know that it didn't happened in many european countries and if you look at that with attention it is not that bad for a european nation of the 19th century. Nothing at all to be proud of about what happened to Dreyfus and about the way about 50% of the french people stood behind the Army(that doesn't mean were antisemit) but after long studies, not that bad once again for pre-WW1 France. If you want to understand that period more just remember what Emile Zola (the 1st and the toughest defender of Dreyfus) said (self-made translation sorry) "If Dreyfus wouldn't have been Dreyfus(the accused officer that means) he would have been anti-dreyfusard".) and USA did fight a civil war about racism. And I agree the comparison is a bit....
That was just to say that I don't enjoy too much comparisons in History. ;)

[Pallas180]

11. Let us not forget that France is filled with Muslims/Arabs who are

giving them plenty of trouble.

Ayatollah Khomeini began and succeeded in his revolution after he was
thrown out of Persia and took up residence in France.

[AliceWonderland]

17. "France is filled with Muslims/Arabs who are

giving them plenty of trouble"? What is up with DU today, with these grand sweeping statements about the evils of the Arab world? One can condemn an act of anti-semitism without suggesting that Muslims and Arabs are a swarming troublesome plague. Actually, that viewpoint is rather ironic in a condemnation of anti-semitism.

France is home to all sorts of people with all sorts of backgrounds and beliefs. Arabs and Muslims are not a homogenous bloc of humans mindlessly, violently stirring up trouble. Yeesh.

[Just Me]

18. So glad you posted that, AW,...

,...broad stroking is bad, very bad. We all do it from time to time (I slap my hand whenever I make ALL Republicans an "enemy"), but we must be mindful of such weaknesses. We simply cannot categorize whole people in such a way because, in so doing, we become akin to those we are opposing.

[Classic_Liberal712]

10. Hey

Is anyone open to the possibility that Muslim agitators may have been the perpetrators of this act? I've looked for a page but the Palestians have superimposed the swastika on the Israeli flag comparing Jews and the U.S. to Nazis. I doubt this was the work of Neo-Nazis


What does "n/t" mean?

:wtf:

[Pallas180]

12. great minds follow the same reasoning Classic - Liberal

:)

[Classic_Liberal712]

13. Thanks

The truth of the matter is that white-power groups have become impotent in the past 10-15 yrs (sounds like a good number, I have no proof as to the date) but it isindisputable that these groups have suffered serious declines in credibility and influence, thank G-d

what does "n/t" mean? I have an urge to use it but it's like using a big
word just to sound smart, extemporaneously. haha

[bemildred]

14. No text. nt

[Rochambeau]

15. It is a possibility since

the dangerous increase of antisemitism in France is barely completely the fact of a part of the youth muslim community. But I don't think so. I may be wrong but I think that it is nazis this time.(too many accurate references to 3rd reich propaganda and in german. The young muslims always use a much more simple graffiti, the swastika. They use it to punish the jews in accusing them to be like their worst ennemy, they are not either familiar nor fan of nazi bullshit).
The main problem to me is that the rest of the french population is much too passive about that new situation ! There is a difference between thinking something like "well we can understand that those young desperate arabs feel that close to the palestinian people" and to think that all the jews are responsible, and to feel free to do antisemitic acts. France must first, fight the result (find the guilty and punish) then fight the cause (explain, educate, organise dialog between communities, tell them that France is not ME and that we are a secular nation etc....). For me, France(government and people) is too weak on the second field. We mustn't confuse understanding errors of judgment due to background and tolerate them and their transcriptions into intolerable acts.