Germany has learned the hard way that freedom of speech can translate to lots of dead Jews. Or at least it does when society is made up of people who deep down (also not so deep down), really hate the Jews. That hatred simmers below the surface and the slightest nudge brings it out in full force.
Germans are afraid of themselves and what they have proven they can do to other human beings. Not to mention the fact that a very large number of Muslims have flocked to Germany to live the good life. Most of them ALSO really don’t like Jews.
As a result, freedom of speech is not what it is in other democratic countries. Holocaust denial, for instance, is a crime in Germany. German legislators must constantly revisit the notion of free speech and what does and does not constitute incitement. That is why a landmark decision issued by Judge Gauri Sastry on January 30 in Essen, Germany, did not really come as much of a surprise.
Sastry ruled that the word “Zionist” is code for “Jew” in the language of anti-Semites and slapped German Turk Taylan Can, 24, with a fine of €200 and three months’ probation for chanting “Death and hate to Zionists” at a July anti-Israel rally in Essen.
http://youtu.be/9w6glftNC0Q
In spite of Sastry’s brave ruling, international legal experts believe the judgment will ultimately prove legally contestable. This is because the ruling uses subjective sociological and political arguments for its basis rather than factual arguments. Sastry is saying that when protestors speak of “Zionists” they mean “Jews” but he cannot prove that this is the case by any factual standard.
No one will be surprised when Sastry’s judgment is overturned, even though everyone knows that he’s right. As my Grandpa Ellis used to say, “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.”
What is surprising, even shocking, is the speed with which a second judge ruled that a synagogue firebombing by three Arabs, supposedly in protest over Israel’s actions in Gaza, was not motivated by anti-Semitism. This ruling came only 6 days after Sastry’s ruling.
In the case of the firebombed synagogue in Wuppertal, the judge ruled that he did not think the three “arsonists” were guilty of anti-Semitism. After all, there was no major damage to the synagogue. They were um, just a bunch of rowdy kids full of oats expressing themselves, right? The judge gave the three the legal equivalent of a slap on the hand.
According to the Jewish Press:
The two older attackers, ages 29 and 24, were given suspended sentences of 15 months in prison – which means they served no time – and together with their 18-year-old accomplice were ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.
Let’s look at what happened here. Like the rally in Essen, the firebombing of the synagogue in Wuppertal occurred against the background of Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Just as in Essen, spirited, even violent protests were occurring in Wuppertal every day with protestors chanting “Death to Zionists.” Several days before the Wuppertal synagogue was firebombed, a wall of the same synagogue was sprayed with the words, “Free Palestine.”
Within the space of just SIX DAYS, the judge in Essen ruled that certain words constituted anti-Semitism while a judge in Wuppertal ruled that LOBBING FIREBOMBS at a SYNAGOGUE did not constitute anti-Semitism.
Now I’ve LONG known that when people chant “Death to Zionists” they really mean “Death to Jews.” I mean DU-UH. But the thing is it’s not even about the word “Zionist.” It’s about the word “Death.”
Exhibit A: My friend Ryan Bellerose is a Zionist, and he’s not a Jew.
Ergo: Not all Zionists are Jews.
Those wishing to effect change don’t call for the deaths of their opponents. They lawfully protest to draw attention to an issue. But when protestors begin wishing death to any group of people, they cross a line.
Protestors chanting death calls are not really protestors then, but RIOTERS. They wish to inflame and incite to violence and murder. That is the only “change” they care about.
You can be sure that an anti-Israel crowd chanting “Death to Zionists,” then, is anti-Semitic, despite all protestations to the contrary.
This is why Judge Sastry wasn’t really saying anything surprising when he ruled that when someone like Taylan Can says “Zionist” it’s merely a codeword for “Jew.” What IS surprising is that the judge in Essen thought he could get away with saying that 3 Arabs firebombing a synagogue are not guilty of anti-Semitism. ‘
What this says is that someone needs to REMOVE THIS JUDGE from his position, because clearly, this judge is an ANTISEMITE who is determined to allow other anti-Semites to incite German citizens to firebomb synagogues and otherwise hurt the Jews.
It’s clear as the (Jewish) nose on my face. That Wuppertal judge’s ruling is a smokescreen for his own anti-Semitism, his own desire to kill the Jews and remove them from the face of the earth. Dig a bit deeper and you’ll find his Nazi roots, for sure.
Oh and by the way, though the three Arabs tried their darnedest, they didn’t manage to burn down the shul in Wuppertal, which interestingly enough, was rebuilt after it was DESTROYED during Kristallnacht, in 1938. The French, those other nice European folks who harbor so much love for their Jews, have a saying that fits this situation to a t: plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same. “
Because it’s a fact: no matter how many laws they pass in Germany, it will still be Germany: a place where Jews will never be safe.