Antysemiuckie ulotkiu naklejane przez aktywistów w domach towarowych Wielkiej Brytanii.

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Harry Potter i zegar na Placu Palestyny

Andrzej Koraszewski

Było już „wszystkie oczy na Rafah”, by nie widzieć Sudanu, Nigerii, Iranu, Ukrainy. Są wszystkie oczy na Gazę, by nie widzieć Syrii, Jemenu, Bangladeszu, Afganistanu. Wszystkie oczy na Izrael, by nie mówić, z kim walczy. Papież Leon XIV modli się za Gazę, wzywa do zakończenia barbarzyńskiej wojny przeciw niewinnym. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres żąda pokoju dziś, żeby nazizm nie został przypadkiem pokonany. W Teheranie, na Placu Palestyny, nadal wielki zegar odlicza dni istnienia Izraela. Nie udało się tego zegara zniszczyć, ale nawet gdyby to się udało, ideologia szyickiej Islamskiej Republiki Iranu i sunnickiego Bractwa Muzułmańskiego pozostałaby żywa.

Wszystkie najemne milicje Iranu posługują się nazistowskim salutem. Bractwo Muzułmańskie nigdy nie wyparło się swoich związków z niemieckim nazizmem. W siedmiotomowej serii o Harrym Potterze postać przywódcy kultu śmierci nazywana jest You-Know-Who – „sam-wiesz-kim” bądź „tym, którego imienia nie wolno wymawiać”. Inaczej to You-Know-Who mówili jego zwolennicy, a inaczej jego lękliwi przeciwnicy. W obu przypadkach obowiązywało to samo unikanie nazwy.

Określenie Iranu, Kataru, Turcji krajami nazistowskimi wywołuje gwałtowny protest, określenie Izraela krajem nazistowskim czy faszystowskim nie wywołuje na salonach gniewnych reakcji – zazwyczaj przeciwnie, jest sygnałem o przynależności do wspólnoty.

Dzisiejsza słabość kultu śmierci niepokoi, budzi potrzebę nasilenia oskarżeń, zapewnień, że ta obrona kultu śmierci to walka o pokój, o życie dzieci, o życie niewinnych ludzi. Życie dziecka w krajach szalejącego nazizmu nie jest interesujące. Niechęć do nazwania kultu śmierci po imieniu pozwala na selekcję. Teoretycznie jest to inna selekcja niż te na rampach w Auschwitz. Ta selekcja jest jak gra komputerowa. Dostarcza przyjemności, nie skłania do refleksji, nie może powodować wyrzutów sumienia. Dostarcza moralnych nagród.

Konstytucja Islamskiej Republiki Iranu nie pozostawia wątpliwości. Nie pozostawia ich również ani pierwszy, ani późniejszy, nieco zmodyfikowany statut Bractwa Muzułmańskiego. Walka z Żydami jest tylko celem numer jeden, ale celem ostatecznym jest walka z demokracją, walka z wszelką wolnością.

Sama możliwość całkowitego unicestwienia jakiejkolwiek nazistowskiej grupy budzi demony. Ujawnia, kto i w jaki sposób ludzie mówią You-Know-Who.

Kolejny papież domaga się natychmiastowego pokoju, uspokaja sumienia, poświadcza, że António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres mówi prawdę i tylko prawdę, że reprezentuje dobro i troskę o życie dzieci i kobiet.

Zegar na Placu Palestyny w Teheranie nadal odlicza dni. Dobrzy ludzie są zagniewani – Izrael chce doprowadzić do całkowitego zniszczenia nazizmu przynajmniej w Gazie.

Gdybym napisał to w Wielkiej Brytanii, mógłbym trafić przed sąd. Mieszkam w kraju ciągle jeszcze bardziej demokratycznym niż Wielka Brytania, Francja czy Australia.

Znajomość treści konstytucji Islamskiej Republiki Iranu, historii Bractwa Muzułmańskiego i jego dzisiejszych deklaracji nie jest u nas jeszcze karalna. Tylko towarzyski ostracyzm informuje, że idziemy śladami wielkiego świata. Czytam doniesienia krajowych gazet – mogę być pewien, że nikt nie planuje zmiany kursu. Serca moich rodaków są po właściwej stronie. Nasi sympatycy You-Know-Who, o ile mi wiadomo, nie grasują jeszcze w marketach i nie naklejają naklejek na izraelskie towary. Rosną jednak w siłę z walną pomocą mediów i swoich akademickich nauczycieli.

Autorka serii książek o Harrym Potterze jest znienawidzona przez młode pololenie w Wielkiej Brytanii, w krajach kontynentalnej Europy, w Australii i w Ameryce. Wiele wskazuje na to, że ta nienawiść nie jest związana wyłącznie z faktem, że kiedy patrzy na uliczny tłum widzi kobiety i mężczyzn, a nie 620 płci. Obawiam się, że powód jest znacznie głębszy i poważniejszy.

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Toronto Film Festival CEO Apologizes Again for Canceling, Then Rescheduling Screening of Oct. 7 Documentary

Shiryn Ghermezian

Skyline of Toronto, Canada. Photo Credit: Aaron Davis, Wikimedia Commons, June 2020.

The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has apologized again for the festival’s decision to cancel and then reschedule the screening of a documentary about the Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“I want to apologize for any hurt, frustration, or disappointment that our communication about the film has caused, and for any mischaracterizations that have taken root,” Cameron Bailey said at a pre-festival event on Wednesday, according to The Canadian Press. “We’re working now — and we will be for a while — to clarify things and to repair relationships.”

Bailey made the comments during his first public appearance since the festival stirred controversy last week when it removed the documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” from its official lineup of films. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, the documentary recounts how retired Israeli Army general Noam Tibon traveled from his home in Tel Aviv to the Nahal Oz kibbutz to rescue his son and his family from Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack. The film combines news interviews with footage from the deadly massacre.

Bailey said on Wednesday that TIFF originally wanted to showcase the film out of “a desire to share a painful but important story with audiences who choose to witness it,” as reported by The Canadian Press. “That commitment to challenging, relevant screen storytelling remains strong,” he added.

Festival organizers pulled the film last week because of issues with “legal clearance of all footage.” The move sparked widespread outrage from Jewish groups, entertainment industry leaders, and politicians. In response, Bailey apologized on Aug. 13 for disinviting the film and said TIFF was committed to working with the filmmakers to meet the festival’s screening requirements.

The next day, Bailey and Avrich announced in a joint statement that the film has officially rejoined the festival. They reached a resolution that clears up “important safety, legal, and programming concerns” regarding the film after hearing “pain and frustration” from the public, according to their statement.

“TIFF’s communication around [the film’s] requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry,” Bailet and Avrich said. “Both TIFF and the filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse perspectives and a belief in the power of storytelling to spark and encourage dialogue and understanding. We thank our audiences and community for their passion, honesty and belief in the importance of film.”

“The Road Between Us” is now slated to make its world premiere at TIFF on Sept. 10 at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Tickets go on sale for the public on Monday. TIFF will run from Sept. 4-14.

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‘Who Is the Biggest Bastard?’ Belgian Politician Equates Israel With Hamas After Refusing Jewish New Year Greeting

Algemeiner Staff

Matthias Diependaele, Minister‑President of Flanders, has faced backlash after declining to send a Rosh Hashanah message to Belgium’s Jewish community. Photo: Screenshot

A senior Belgian politician who recently refused to send a Jewish New Year message has once again sparked outrage for equating Israel with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Matthias Diependaele, Minister‑President of Flanders — the Dutch-speaking region in northern Belgium — was speaking before the Flemish Parliament on Tuesday when he argued the world’s lone Jewish state and only democracy in the Middle East was no better morally than an international designated terrorist group.

“How do you explain who is the biggest bastard?” he asked. “On the one hand, you have an innovative, modern country that should be based on Western standards, but uses disproportionate force and commits human rights violations without any compassion. On the other hand, you see a terrorist organization that doesn’t hesitate to hide behind a human shield. Who is the bigger bastard? The one who shoots at children? Or the one who uses them as a human shield? I don’t know. I choose the innocent victims, and I want to think about how best to help them.”

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the ongoing war with their invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages while perpetrating widespread sexual violence. In response, Israel has waged a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.

Israel says it has gone to unprecedented lengths during its war effort to try and avoid civilian casualties, noting its efforts to evacuate areas before it targets them and to warn residents of impending military operations with leaflets, text messages, and other forms of communication. However, Hamas, which rules Gaza, has in many cases prevented people from leaving, according to the Israeli miitary.

Another challenge for Israel is Hamas’s widely recognized military strategy of embedding its terrorists within Gaza’s civilian population and commandeering civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and mosques to run operations and direct attacks.

Diependaele belongs to the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the same center-right party led by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. His parliamentary remarks prompted immediate backlash.

“The Flemish Alliance has completely surrendered to leftist pressure and no longer has a moral compass. He compares a free society and democratic state, existentially threatened, to a gang of murderous Muslim terrorists,” said Sam van Rooy, a lawmaker from the right-wing Vlaams Belang party, according to multiple reports. “This is why I continue responding to the anti-Israeli debate, constantly fed by leftist parties and traditional parties — it causes masks to fall. Israel is a litmus test. Now we know that, unfortunately, Flanders is controlled by a prime minister who cannot distinguish between good and evil.”

Diependaele has even received criticism from other members of Belgium’s five-party federal government coalition.

Sammy Mahdi, head of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V), described the remarks in an Instagram post as “shameful” and indicative of “a lack of common sense.”

CD&V and Vooruit, another political party in the coalition, said on Wednesday that Diependaele was not speaking on behalf of the government, according to Belgian media.

Diependaele’s comments came after he declined a request last week by the Belgian Jewish newspaper The Centrale to provide a Rosh Hashanah message. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, will take place in late September this year.

“After internal deliberation, we regret to inform you that, given the current situation and sensitivities concerning the tensions in the Middle East, we cannot follow up on your request,” the statement from Diependaele’s office read.

“Anything that bears even the slightest connection to this conflict is being closely monitored and examined under a magnifying glass. For that reason, we do not deem it opportune to go into this any further,” it continued.

According to the Jewish newspaper, requesting a Rosh Hashanah greeting from Belgium’s leaders for the country’s Jewish citizens has been a long-standing tradition.

“This year, even that became radioactive,” The Centrale wrote.

Shortly after the newspaper published Diependaele’s response, which drew widespread outrage from Belgium’s Jewish community, the politician rejected claims of antisemitism and attempted to defend his earlier statement.

“My refusal is purely based on the principle that, for more than 15 years in my role as a representative of the people, I have not supported religious activities,” Diependaele wrote in a new letter sent to The Centrale.

“I have also never accepted invitations for the Eid. I have also never taken part in a Te Deum for Catholics,” the Flemsih leader continued. “By this I am in no way passing judgment on any religion or on the people who practice it. It is, however, my conviction that no religion — including my own — has any role to play in the exercise of my mandate.”

However, the paper rejected Diependaele’s new letter, arguing that his shift from “too sensitive right now” to a “timeless principle” was an attempt to mask his initial fear of public backlash.

The World Jewish Congress denounced Diependaele’s actions as a clear act of antisemitism.

“Holding Jews in the Diaspora collectively accountable for the actions of Israel – is antisemitic. To be a political leader, and to refuse to acknowledge the traditions and culture of your country’s Jewish community – because of Israel – is antisemitic,” the organization said in a statement. “What transpired is quite clear: A political leader declined to acknowledge their Jewish citizens because of Israel and the perceived public backlash about engaging with Jews.”

While members of the Belgian government have been pushing for a tougher stance against Israel amid the Gaza war, the country has been less critical of the Israeli military campaign in recent months than other European countries.

In late April, for example, De Wever rejected a journalist’s claim that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza and argued it is premature to recognize a “Palestinian state.”

Weeks earlier, Belgium announced it would not enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, should he visit Brussels.