All German political parties are infected with hatred of Jews, the chairman of the Jewish community in Halle, Germany, told the Bild newspaper on Sunday.
“All parties are infected by the anti-Semitism virus,” said Max Privorozki. “It is a big problem that everyone points their finger at others, but clears themselves of any suspicion. Of course, the AfD (Alternative for Germany) has a big problem with anti-Semitism, and the willingness to stamp it out is less than with other parties.”
He added, “I would not recommend to anyone to walk through Halle wearing a kipah.”
A 2017 federal government study found that 40 percent of Germans hold modern anti-Semitic views, specifically hatred for Israel, reported The Jerusalem Post. The study also estimated that nearly 33 million Germans out of a total population of 82 million in the country are infested with contemporary anti-Semitism.
Leaders of the AfD party have downplayed the remembrance of the Holocaust and praised the role of German soldiers during World War II.
In October, Green Party Bundestag vice president Claudia Roth warmly greeted Ali Larijani, an Iranian Holocaust denier who seeks the destruction of Israel. And a Green Party MP who supported an anti-Israel Green Party initiative in 2013 to label Jewish products from the disputed territories is on the board of the BDS-supporting German-Palestinian Association.
Niels Annen, a state secretary in the foreign ministry and an MP for the Social Democratic Party, in February attended and defended a celebration by Iran, a leading sponsor of anti-Semitism and terrorism, of its 40-year revolution at Tehran’s embassy.
