Volume 4 No 1 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

2012] ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS, JANUARY–JUNE 2012 21
onto themselves; in contrast, in other places the number of respondents who agreed
with this belief was 38 percent of the population. At the top of the list, however, is
Lower Bavaria, where the study found the highest rate of antisemitism. The result
was clear: The young can be manipulated by massive indoctrination, but only to the
extent that the new, radical beliefs are not completely at variance with preexisting
norms.
Paris, May 6: The French Finance Ministry froze the assets of a radical imam from
Tunisia who is under the threat of expulsion for antisemitism, an official announcement
said. Mohammed Hammami, 76, who has lived in France for decades, was
accused in January by interior minister Claude Geant of making “violently
antisemitic remarks” as well as calling for women to be “whipped to death” for
adultery. Hammami was hospitalized in February for what his lawyer said was
psychological and physical shock from the accusations, and was unable to attend an
expulsion hearing.
Greece’s Golden Dawn Party
Athens, May 8: Jewish leaders in Greece expressed concern and disappointment
after the Fascist Golden Dawn party was poised to enter the Greek parliament for
the first time. With most of the ballots counted, Golden Dawn received nearly 7
percent of the vote in Sunday’s elections, as Greeks punished the mainstream parties
they blame for the country’s financial crisis and accepting harsh European austerity
measures. “It is very disappointing that in a country like Greece, where so
many were killed fighting the Germans, that a neo-Nazi party is now in parliament,”
David Saltiel, president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in
Greece, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. It was a major victory for Golden
Dawn, whose flag closely resembles the Nazi swastika.
Toronto, May 9: A Toronto Islamic school under police investigation over its
“antisemitic” curriculum has apologized to the Jewish community and promised to
review its teaching materials. The East End Madrassah acknowledged in a press
release that passages of its texts that refer to “crafty” and “treacherous Jews,” and
contrast Islam with “the Jews and the Nazis,” were a mistake. “We unreservedly
apologize to the Jewish community for the unintentional offense that the item has
caused,” it said. “Our team of scholars has already undertaken to review all texts
and material being used in the curriculum to ensure that our teachings are conveying
the right message.”