A Greek Bishop’s Anti-Semitic Tirade

[cali]

By ROBERT MACKEY
Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus. Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus.

Updated | 7:19 p.m. Leaders of Greece’s small Jewish community objected on Wednesday to televised remarks by a Greek Orthodox bishop who blamed the country’s financial problems on a conspiracy of Jewish bankers and claimed that the Holocaust was orchestrated by Zionists.

The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece complained to church authorities about the anti-Semitic remarks made by the Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus during an interview on Greek television on Monday, according to a statement (in Greek) on the group’s Web site.*

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that the bishop “said that there is a conspiracy to enslave Greece and Christian Orthodoxy. He also accused international Zionism of trying to destroy the family unit by promoting one-parent families and same-sex marriages.”

According to the news agency, when the bishop was then asked, “Why do you disagree with Hitler’s policies? If they are doing all this, wasn’t he right in burning them?” he replied: “Adolf Hitler was an instrument of world Zionism and was financed from the renowned Rothschild family with the sole purpose of convincing the Jews to leave the shores of Europe and go to Israel to establish the new Empire.” He added that Jewish bankers like “Rockefeller, Rothschild and Soros control the international banking system that controls globalization.”

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http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/a-greek-bishops-anti-semitic-tirade/?partner=rss&emc=rss

[Bonobo]

1. This is why I say that the use of the word "Zionism"

is, more often than not, an indication that you are going to hear someone spewing anti-semitic crap.

Just listen and observe yourself. You'll see.

[cali]

2. I think folks need to be aware of how much ugly freight that word

bears.

[apocalypsehow]

3. "But...but... but....what about X-Y-&-Z...?" showing up any second now. Kick, Rec. n/t.

[cali]

6. boy did you call that one.

[The Straight Story]

4. If he had said "christians/catholics" and mentioned the church/C street etc

Would it be seen as hate speech or just relaying factual information about some in power using their religion to influence legislation/etc?

[cali]

5. huh? did you read this?

what he said was frankly hate speech, and it would be hate speech about any other group. But that he said the Jews engineered the Holocaust is truly disgusting. Oh, and Jews are a tiny minority in Greece. Most of the Greek Jews did not survive the Holocaust.

[The Straight Story]

7. I agree it is disgusting, most certainly

but why is it hate speech when it mentions jews and not another religious group?

Mention a Christian doing something positive here and you get "well, they killed people, they want to control the government and media, etc and so on" of you said the exact same thing about jews or muslims people would yell "It's hate speech".

Either it is or it isn't - of someone points out how many christian fundies were in bush's administration folks would be like 'yeah, see, I told you they were out to get us' but if you do the same with another religious group it is 'you hater, you want to kill everyone not like you, how dare you mention or imply that there is something there regarding their religion'

How does that work? If I posted an OP about people who were Jewish, with ties to RW'ers in Israel here I would be banned. Post the same exact thing, change it to Christians and 700 club and you get applause. Why? Is there only ONE religious group in all of the world that can have extremists in it that may have a bigger agenda?

[cali]

8. uh, because that was the group he mentioned. He didn't go into a hate tirade

about Muslims or Latvians or Roman Catholics. Had he launched a similar tirade about another group, he would have been excoriated as purveying hate speech.

Look, I've been through this with you enough times. And you are exaggerating the antipathy for Christians here. Furthermore, unlike this rant, most on DU qualify their antipathy by directing it toward such groups as focus on the family. There is a much recced post on the board now by someone explaining their Christianity.

In any case, this wasn't on a discussion board- It was a very prominent religious leader on TV.

And no, you would not be banned for writing an OP critical of groups with ties to the RW in Israel. People do it with some frequency. THAT IS HARDLY THE SAME THING AS THE STORY HERE.

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

9. in my short amount of time here

I think that people in general are too hard on Christians. And I speak as a non-Christian. I especially don't get why people are so hard on liberal or regular mainstream Christians. But I was raised by an evangelical who was politically moderate, so I don't mind sticking up for them too. I see that they're not all so easily labeled.

But, I've also hung around the left enough, and in my short time here I've gathered that this place is no exception, that there are way more people who have something against Jewish people than there should be for people who describe themselves as _____ (insert liberal, progressive, leftist, Democrat, socialist, etc.). To put it mildly.