Friday 2 September 2011

Strauss-Kahn expected to be targeted for being a Jew in French presidential race

"Regardless of the anti-Semitic attack, those words are a true media lynching of a person whose case was dismissed by justice."

In April, before the sex scandal that put a stop to his political career, Dominique Strauss-Kahn told French journalists, during an informal chat about his candidancy for the French presidential elections, that he had three weak spots: his wealth, his relationship with women and his being Jewish ("judéité", the term he used).  He indicated that his and his wife's, former journalist Anne Sinclair, main concern was that he would be targated during the presidential campaign  for being Jewish.  This is extremely disturbing but did not dampen high hopes for becoming the next French President...

It now turns out that there was a debate on a French radio about the support Strauss-Kahn had received from  the "Jewish lobby".  There is a widespread belief that a Jewish lobby controls France and the world.  Alain Soral has published a deeply antisemitic book which claims precisely this in the most brutal terms  - his book has had a considerable success and is sold in the best libraries in France - some of them owned by Jews - it just seems to be normal!  After all President François Mitterrand also complained of the power of the Jewish lobby and General de Gaulle famously referred to the Jews as an "arrogant and domineering people".

Source
The High Council for Audiovisual (CSA), the authority which regulates radio and television stations in France, is looking into possible anti-Semitic excesses in a program aired by a private radio, Sud Radio, which could lead to sanctions.

After a working group reviewed the case, the CSA decided to meet in plenary session on Wednesday afternoon to decide whether to take action.

On August 22, in a program on freedom of speech, a listener declared that Dominique Strauss-Kahn was "supported by the Jews", suggesting that a "Jewish lobby" would have facilitated the dismissal which was granted to the former director general of the International Monetary Fund on suspicion of attempted rape on Nafissatou Diallo, an employee of the Sofitel hotel in New York.

The same day, in another program, host-journalist Eric Mazet continued on the same topic of "Jewish lobby" support for Strauss-Kahn and encouraged listeners to call the station and give their opinion.


Journalist Michel Cardoze, who participated in the program, denounced what he called "the stereotypes of anti-Semitism," but Mazet went on: "All opinions are welcome. Is Strauss-Kahn supported by the Jews? Is there a Jewish lobby which supports him?"

Several listeners called the radio to support the idea of a "Jewish lobby" behind Strauss-Kahn.

In a statement, the Confederation of the Jews of France and friends of Israel said it was "shocked" by these "unacceptable outrageous anti-Semitic outbursts." It seized the CSA.

"Regardless of the anti-Semitic attack, those words are a true media lynching of a person whose case was dismissed by justice," the association said.

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