Jews warned not to wear religious symbols in Copenhagen

[FarCenter]

Israeli and Jewish officials in Denmark on Wednesday warned Jews to avoid openly wearing religious symbols and dress when moving about Copenhagen amid rising anti-Israeli sentiment.

"We advise Israelis who come to Denmark and want to go to the synagogue to wait to don their skull caps until they enter the building and not to wear them in the street, irrespective of whether the areas they are visiting are seen as being safe," Israel's ambassador to Denmark, Arthur Avnon, told AFP.

Avnon added that visitors were also advised not to "speak Hebrew loudly" or demonstrably wear Star of David jewellery.

Denmark's national Jewish Religious Community organisation has also advised its members, and those at the private Jewish school in Copenhagen, to exercise caution.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121212-jews-warned-not-wear-religious-symbols-copenhagen

[Marrah_G]

1. Scary and sad

[Xipe Totec]

2. Very sad and scary

If they can't guarantee safety for Jews, they can't guarantee safety for anyone.

So why bother visiting, regardless of religion?

[ZombieHorde]

16. Exactly. That was what I was going to say.

It's also pathetic.

[WinkyDink]

3. So much for WWII bravery amongst the Danes.

[riderinthestorm]

4. Heavily populated by middle eastern immigrants and known as "Little Arabia"

Doubly sad that in such a place as Copenhagen there's rising anti-semitism (again).

From the article in the OP:

"According to figures from the Jewish Belief Centre (Mosaisk Trossamfund), the organisation has received 37 reports of anti-Jewish incidents this year, predominantly in the heavily immigrant Noerrebro neighbourhood and around the Jewish synagogue in central Copenhagen."



From Wiki about the Noerrebro neighborhood and the source of my "little Arabia" quote:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Copenhagen/N%C3%B8rrebro

[question everything]

5. Thus, instead of controlling the hooligans

they are going to blame the victims.

And to think that during WWII the Danes took heroic measures to shelter the Jews and to help them escape.

[Journeyman]

6. Denmark. Named one of the "10 best countries in which to be born" just yesterday. . .

shown to have a cesspool of bigotry as well just this morning.

Ah, what a difference a day makes!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021965178

[freshwest]

13. Educational system also said to be better than ours. But I don't know if attendance is compulsory.

Possibly the perpetrators are not in school, getting a modern education, including diversity training?

Maybe these are an element rebelling against that, like Tea Partiers here and Brevik in Norway.

I'd like to say I'm surprised, but really not. Europe has been dealing with some harsh social realities for quite a while now.

[FarCenter]

17. Some Muslims in Denmark are no doubt integrated, but there are Arab, Turkish, and Urdu schools

[freshwest]

19. And the baggers here want public education eliminated for religious ones.

I see a problem looming here, too.

[amborin]

25. Denmark = massive deforestation, whale killing festivals, etc. Yuck. eom

[freshwest]

31. Really?

[mike_c]

7. bias against Jews is not the way to express anger at Israeli policies....

Not being in Denmark, it's hard to know how real the general threat is, and how much is projected. Anti-Israel sentiment is well considered, IMO, but in my experience (albeit limited) Danes in general are egalitarian and fair-minded. I can easily see Danes expressing disdain for Israeli apartheid and oppression of Arab minorities, but I cannot see them taking that disdain out on Jewish people practicing their religion in Denmark. The two issues are completely separate.

I hope this is just projection or propaganda on the ambassador's part, trying to conflate opposition to Israeli policy with anti-semitism in the public debate.

[FarCenter]

8. The Danes are not the problem, it is between the Jews and the Arabs in Denmark

[mike_c]

12. thanks for clarifying that-- comments about Denmark being a "cesspool of bigotry..."

...just didn't ring true. My daughter and her husband lived and went to school in Denmark and they described it as one of the most open and egalitarian societies in Europe. They're in the UK now, and desperately want to return to Denmark.

on edit: That said, my original comment is still true-- anger at Israeli policies, no matter how justified, should not be focused upon random Jewish people.

[freshwest]

14. I wouldn't call it that, either, nor Norway.

[Journeyman]

22. No one said Denmark "is" a cesspool of bigotry. But you can't deny, something is rotten in Denmark…

[mike_c]

23. LOL-- dude, that was YOUR post (#6) I was quoting....

Seriously, let's not argue over whether you said "is a cesspool of bigotry" or "has a cesspool of bigotry." In either event, Denmark sounds like a rather nice country to live in. I think your characterization of the Danes was a bit over the top. As I read most of the informed responses in this thread, it's generally not Danes at all who are the problem-- it's middle eastern immigrants-- a fractional minority population-- who bring their experiences in the middle east to Denmark with them. Surely you understand that acculturation of such disparate groups takes generations, at best. That hardly makes Danish society a cesspool of anything.

[Journeyman]

30. Well, I thought there was a substantive difference if someone "has" an asshole or "is" an asshole…

but I'll defer to your greater knowledge.

[zellie]

34. Generations, huh?

You're right.... It's not a cesspool yet.

[PCIntern]

35. It is a nice country to live in...

ifyou're not a Jew.

Fuck. That. Shit.

[musical_soul]

43. How egalitarian can it possibly be......

to upgrade the status of a nation ran by terrorists as a UN member? I think Denmark and Europe in general might still have a lot of problems with anti-semitism.

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Mise_00/6452_00.htm

Anti-Semitism Resurgent in Europe

Anti-Semitism was resurgent in Europe. Three countries witnessed the rise of anti-Semitic political parties in parliament, and the Jewish community in France witnessed another upsurge in violent attacks. A survey in 10 European countries revealed anti-Semitic attitudes at disturbingly high levels. In April, one in six Hungarian voters cast their ballots for an openly anti-Semitic party, Jobbik, in the national elections. The following month Greece's neo-Nazi Golden Dawn won 21 seats in parliament. And in November, the radical Svoboda (Freedom) party of Ukraine captured 12 percent of the popular vote, giving electoral support to a party well-known for its anti-Semitic rhetoric. But perhaps no country in Europe was more susceptible to violent anti-Semitism than France, where a series of violent attacks left the Jewish community on edge. On March 19, in Toulouse, four Jews were shot and killed at the Ozar Hatorah School by a homegrown terrorist on a motorcycle, whom authorities later identified as Mohammed Merah, a French citizen of Algeriant. Before he was killed by authorities in a shootout with police, Merah stated that he targeted the Jewish school to avenge "the killing of children" in Gaza.

snip

I can't believe Greece has a neo-Nazi party that's taken seriously. Europe still has issues. They just think they're more enlightened than everybody else, just like they've always thought that.

Europe has always thought they were more enlightened, more educated, at one time more religious, more you name it than everybody else. They think their ways are superior and have thought that for centuries. I think this is just an offshoot of the same attitude they've always had. Just sayin.

[demokatgurrl]

9. This is fucking sad but not shocking

I love Europe and would live there in a heartbeat. But you cannot enter any Jewish institution, even synagogues, in any European city I've visited without having to pass through metal detectors and often are frisked because of security risks. It seems that the line is getting blurrier all the time between criticism of the actions of the Israeli government and outright hostility toward Jews.

[gollygee]

10. How sad :(

We seem to be going backward in so many ways in this world.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. Not a good development.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. Not completely surprising.

It is sad it is becoming more commonplace than it (anti-Semitism) has been in years in Europe. However, it still is much worse in the eastern European countries where the political parties are actually promoting anti-Semitism and gaining power. I often how wonder how bad it will really get, or if this is just a spike and things will soon go back to "normal."

[Libertas1776]

37. Indeed...

Last edited Thu Dec 13, 2012, 01:07 AM - Edit history (1)

in places like Eastern Europe that is the case, unfortunately. I think it was the Czech Republic where a right wing politician wanted a list drawn up the find out what members were Jewish and by extension held dual Israeli citizenship. CORRECTION: It was Hungary, not Czech Republic.


Anti-Semitism is still a problem amongst ethnic Europeans in Europe. However, arguably, in the case of Denmark, and other Scandinavian countries, these attacks are not coming from ethnic Danes, as many in this thread seem to think. Its not PC to say around here, but its the large influx of immigrant populations, mainly Muslim Middle Eastern immigrants. The article is vague as to the background of the attackers but it states it occurred in the predominately "immigrant" neighborhood of Noerrebro. According to Wiki, the main groups of immigrants in this district hail from Arab countries, from Turkey, from Pakistan...although in fairness, also from Eastern Euro countries like Bosnia and Albania. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%B8rrebro#Culture

The largest Islamic school in Denmark is in Noerrebro...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Denmark#Schools


Similar situations are occurring in Sweden, with a city called Malmo in particular. http://www.thelocal.se/39858/20120323/#.UMlCxnfAGS0

These large immigrant groups vent their rage (whether founded or unfounded) over the Israeli/Palestinian conflict against a small minority of Jews in Denmark and Sweden, despite their living there for ages, even surviving the Second World War. Regardless of one's feelings over the conflict, there is no place for such ruthless attacks on any ethnic group and this, along with other incidents, such as the mass riots of Muslim immigrants in Denmark and abroad over the Mohamed cartoons back in 2005, is why ethnic Danes are sliding more and more over the side of growing right wing populist parties who are anti-immigration.

[oberle]

40. Hungary

Actually it was a Hungarian politician that wanted the list draw up of who held dual citizenship.

[Libertas1776]

42. ah, that was it

thank you for correcting me.

[Quantess]

18. It's not white supremacists behind the anti semitism.

It's the middle eastern immigrants.

[intheflow]

20. Sadly, I think there's enough anti-semitism to go around. n/t

[slackmaster]

24. Rather ironic in light of history. Can they wear those cute little yellow star-shaped patches?

[zellie]

45. "Coming soon to a Denmark and Sweden near you"

Meh.... Nothing to see here... Who cares.

[Chalfont]

26. Women Warned Not To Wear Skimpy Clothing

So Jews need to change their behavior? Not the attackers?

The identity of the attackers isn't even mentioned out in the article. Who are they? Muslims? The far right? Vampires? Name and shame the attackers, not the victims.

[Scootaloo]

27. My thoughts exactly

All this does is grant power to the bigots.

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. It's Jewish officials who are saying this

This is Jewish Danes (plus a foreign government - the Israeli one) telling other Jewish Danes what to do.

[In_The_Wind]

29. That's not going to be accepted easily.

This is bad, very bad.

[zellie]

32. It's sad... No one has the guts to say it.

It not a secret that Denmark and Sweden are in a race to see who will be the anti-Semitic country in Europe.

I can't imagine why great countries with unbelievable histories are going down the shitter.




The answer might be obvious... But just not PC to say it.

[Libertas1776]

36. immigration...

the not PC answer is immigration. I assume that's what you are hinting at. If not, then I apologize.

As for me tho, yes, it comes down to immigration. Most of the responses in this thread seem to think that it is Danish people, that is to say ethnic Danes, are the ones behind these anti-Semitic attacks. The fact is, unfortunately, and DU can flame me for saying it if it feels its unPC to say, it is a symptom of Denmark's growing immigrant population, the majority of which is composed of Middle Eastern Muslim groups. The article itself is poor in describing the attackers backgrounds in detail, but it does say they occurred in the area of a big immigrant neighborhood.

Are there white supremacists in these countries, neo nazis etc? Of course, they are everywhere. But the fact of the matter is these attacks in particular are from immigrants. A weird symptom of the Islamophobia and anti immigration sentiment spreading in Europe is that many right wing parties, the ones that are ultra conservative but still electable for mainstream government are actually supportive of the State of Israel in the Israel/Palestine conflict...albeit in a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of way" but its still support anyway.

A similar situation has arisen in Sweden, in particular in the city of Malmo, which has a sizable and growing Muslim immigrant population.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-features/after-another-malmo-attack-sweden-s-jews-resolve-to-keep-up-solidarity-rallies-1.469460

The mayor of Malmo suggested that Jews there not publicly wear their Kippehs for example.

[zellie]

44. Wow....you got guts.

Since YOU brought it up, there are some people who are disgusted at the vile antisemitism and violent attacks from the " immigrants ". The people who live there can't believe how their culture and history are being destroyed by what you call these "immigrants"

It's a close race to the bottom which country will hit rock bottom.

I am so glad we just had Islamophobia Awareness Month.

[TeamPooka]

33. here we go again... nt

[undeterred]

38. Wow, what century is it?

[SomethingFishy]

39. Funny, there was a thread today listing Denmark as one of the best countries to be born in..

Actually one of the top 10. Jews not apply I guess.

[musical_soul]

41. Isn't Denmark supposedly a progressive country?

What a load of malarkey.

[zellie]

46. The Danes are a great beautiful progressive people.

Unfortunately that won't be the case soon.