Sweden: “Jew-Free Zone” sign sparks outrage in Stockholm
An antisemitic sign displayed outside a shoe store in Stockholm has sparked controversy. Its author claims to have intended to denounce an anti-Israel message.
A sign reading “Jew-Free Zone” was put up outside a shoe store in Stockholm, Sweden, sparking strong reactions. The sign was placed there by Dan Park, a Swedish artist known for his provocative acts and previous convictions related to works deemed racist. He says he intended to denounce another sign already displayed outside the store that targeted Israelis.
According to reports in the Swedish press, the store had displayed a sign stating that Israelis were not welcome. Dan Park then put up his own sign nearby, this time bearing a message explicitly targeting Jews.
The artist explains that he sought to highlight what he considers the discriminatory nature of the original message by replacing the reference to Israelis with one to Jews. The initiative nevertheless sparked outrage, as the phrase “Jew-Free Zone” directly evokes the antisemitic exclusionary practices of Nazi Europe.
The photograph of the storefront quickly circulated on social media. Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, condemned the use of an expression reminiscent of the Nazi term Judenfrei, used to describe territories emptied of their Jewish population.
Israel’s ambassador to Sweden, Tammy Rahamimoff-Honig, also condemned the incident, saying that Dan Park’s stated intent did nothing to diminish the seriousness of the message displayed. In response to the backlash, the store owner removed both signs.