German socialists call for boycott of Israel, deny Holocaust

[Syt]

http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20110428-34685.html

Anti-Semitic flyer found on The Left website

Prosecutors on Thursday said they were investigating an anti-Semitic leaflet which was found on the website of a regional Ruhr Valley chapter of Germany's socialist party The Left.

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Duisburg District Attorney Rolf Haferkamp said authorities were probing the possible criminal use of unconstitutional symbols. Germany has strong hate-speech laws which generally forbid anti-Semitic literature or the use of swastikas in propaganda.

The document, which The Left party has since has disavowed, was discovered on the homepage of the party's Duisburg branch this week. It featured a Jewish star of David with a swastika inside of it. The leaflet denied the holocaust, called for a boycott on Israeli goods and vilified Israel as a "true rogue state with warmongers."

Hans-Werner Rook, spokesman for The Left, said he didn't know how the leaflet got on the website and said party officials were searching for its author. The link was taken down as soon it was discovered.

"We are totally outraged. That's all far-right radical nonsense," said Rook, speculating that an extremist mole burrowed himself into the party and posted the flyer onto the website.

The pamphlet was first reported on by regional blog Ruhrbarone, which said it had apparently been available for download for years.

The Left's Duisburg chapter has a history of causing a stir with its strident views on Israel. In 2009, the party's mayoral candidate resigned after he supported a boycott of the country.

[Scipio]

There is no anti-Semitism in Europe!

[grumbler]

There is no anti-Semitism in Europe!

We have always been at war with Eastasia!

[Ed Anger]

I want one of those nazi cakes. And have a Hitler melon with it.

[Martim Silva]

The Powers That Be are REALLY scared of the social consequences of giving bailouts to everbody and the inevitable bankruptcy of their systems.

Trying to attach a 'Nazi' label to the 'Die Linke' is the same as saying that Ron Paul is a fierce advocate of a strong federal government.

Pathetic display of incompetence by the Secret Service.

[Admiral Yi]

The Powers That Be are REALLY scared of the social consequences of giving bailouts to everbody and the inevitable bankruptcy of their systems.

Trying to attach a 'Nazi' label to the 'Die Linke' is the same as saying that Ron Paul is a fierce advocate of a strong federal government.

Pathetic display of incompetence by the Secret Service.

We can only hope that the people see through the lies of the Secret Service and vote in a government that will give them more free money.

[derspiess]

The Powers That Be are REALLY scared of the social consequences of giving bailouts to everbody and the inevitable bankruptcy of their systems.

Trying to attach a 'Nazi' label to the 'Die Linke' is the same as saying that Ron Paul is a fierce advocate of a strong federal government.

Pathetic display of incompetence by the Secret Service.

We can only hope that the people see through the lies of the Secret Service and vote in a government that will give them more free money.

It just occurred to me that we need "Like" buttons here, a la Facebook.

[Admiral Yi]

It just occurred to me that we need "Like" buttons here, a la Facebook.

Are you coming on to me?

[Ed Anger]

The Powers That Be are REALLY scared of the social consequences of giving bailouts to everbody and the inevitable bankruptcy of their systems.

Trying to attach a 'Nazi' label to the 'Die Linke' is the same as saying that Ron Paul is a fierce advocate of a strong federal government.

Pathetic display of incompetence by the Secret Service.

We can only hope that the people see through the lies of the Secret Service and vote in a government that will give them more free money.

It just occurred to me that we need "Like" buttons here, a la Facebook.

Ed Anger hates this post.

[Faeelin]

So the German socialists are apparently one guy whose statements were disavowed and isn't even a member of the SPD but some other group?

[Martim Silva]

So the German socialists are apparently one guy whose statements were disavowed and isn't even a member of the SPD but some other group?

The Socialists that Syt mentions are real Socialists, not fake ones.

The 'Die Linke' Party is not the Social-democratic SPD, but a fusion between the PDS - the Party that succeeded the SED, the Communist Party of East Germany - and the Left wing of the SPD (which split from the SPD, as it realized that that Party had become part of a 'fake' Left).

[The Minsky Moment]

The 'Die Linke' Party is not the Social-democratic SPD, but a fusion between the PDS - the Party that succeeded the SED, the Communist Party of East Germany - and the Left wing of the SPD (which split from the SPD, as it realized that that Party had become part of a 'fake' Left).

On the theory that all the clowns should be put into the same circus.

[Zanza2]

The German far-left has a history of being anti-Israel, mostly in the guise of being pro-Palestinian. Right after the war, they were strongly pro-Isreal and the non-radical left still is in general. But the radicals changed their mind during the riots of 1967-68 and the anti-Israel sentiment was at its strongest in the 1970s. Not sure if it makes sense to distinguish between anti-Israel and anti-semitism here though, but what you hear from the radical left always aims at Israel, not at all Jews from what I can tell.

[Malthus]

My favourite ultra-leftists are those wacky Japanese Red Army ones - they killed each other, saving much trouble and expense. 

[DGuller]

Don't you get summarily executed in Germany for denying Holocaust?  Oh, right, I forgot, no death penalty in Europe.