A vulgar column by Herman Brusselmans on Aug. 4, a prominent Belgian author and media personality, has crossed the line from provocative to dangerous.
In his piece, Brusselmans wrote that he “wants to ram a sharp knife through the throat of every Jew he meets,” a shocking, unacceptable image that is nothing short of hate speech.
This is not merely an expression of antisemitism. It is a dangerous incitement to violence and must be condemned as such. Nowadays, the term antisemitism is, unfortunately, deployed almost as a stock phrase to call out criminal speech or activities against Jewish people. Yet expressing the desire to ram a knife through anyone’s throat, Jew or non-Jew, is despicable and must be protested in and of itself, even before it is deemed antisemitic. It is not just about who these words are directed against; they are inherently wrong and inciteful.
Furthermore, the problem with Brusselmans’ statements is not that they conflate Israel with Jewish people, which simply plays into the growing demonization of Israel, distancing every Jewish community from the State of Israel. While, of course, the government and military of Israel are their own distinct entities and have no official link to Jewish communities outside of Israel, we object to this author’s desire to stab a Jew in the throat for that murderous image alone, not for mixing Israelis and Belgian Jews together. Writing such hatred, even the mention of stabbing anyone in the throat oversteps the boundaries of all political discourse.
The Belgian magazine Humo, where this column was published, has defended Brusselmans, with its deputy editor quoted as saying that the passage was intended as satire. Such a claim trivializes the real threat posed by hate speech and fails to hold accountable those who genuinely spread such harmful ideas.
Brusselmans’s words are not just offensive; they are downright dangerous. They contribute to an atmosphere of fear and hostility that threatens the safety of Jewish individuals and undermines society, creating a toxic environment that can lead to real-world violence.
This incident has received significant attention in the Belgian press, ranking as one of the top stories on HLN and leading coverage on the national news channel VRT. The public outrage reflects the severity of Brusselmans’ words. His stubborn refusal to retract his statement or acknowledge its harm—and his continuing to spew hateful tropes about Jews “who cannot take a joke”—only compounds his wrongdoing.
It is essential to recognize the power of words, as an author and columnist should know. Speech can inspire, but it can also incite hatred and violence. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel remarked how the crematoria were built not with bricks but with words. Brusselmans’ column is a stark reminder of the latter.
It is crucial that, as a society, we reject such published statements unequivocally. Hate speech, especially when propagated by influential public figures, must be met with strong condemnation and appropriate legal action. With that, we will also show the power of words, and how speech and writing indeed have an impact.
