German state's commissioner on antisemitism accused of 'fomenting antisemitism'

In May, after Michael Blume blamed Israeli Jews for antisemitism in Europe, the Frankfurt-based German Jew, Sacha Stawski, from the media watchdog NGO Honestly Concerned urged Blume to resign.

Stawski wrote on Facebook about Blume, the German state of Baden-Württemberg's appointed commissioner tasked with fighting antisemitism: "One must now assume that this man is not only unworthy of his office - an opinion we have had for a long time - but also that he himself is fomenting antisemitism… this can no longer be glossed over or talked out of the world, as he has always done up to now. This can no longer be blamed on any 'trolls,' as he likes to call them, but has to do with his own attitude towards the state of Israel or the Israeli government, which is unacceptable."

Stawski, who has spent decades fighting Jew-hatred in Germany, added “As an antisemitism commissioner, he should know a certain level of diplomacy himself, something that we have been missing from him for years - and not just in his social media postings. In addition, he should know the IHRA [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition [of antisemitism] and, above all, know what the difference is between criticism of Israel and antisemitism. And he should know that an Israeli government, or any Jew for that matter, certainly cannot be held responsible for antisemitism against Jews worldwide. Such a claim in itself fuels not only hatred of Israel, but antisemitism. Enough is enough, as the saying goes… time to resign.”

Two German court rulings determined that Blume can be termed antisemitic. Blume and Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann’s spokesman, Matthias Gauger, refused to respond to i24NEWS press queries.