A protester carries his torch in a march in Sweden. (AP/Gunnar Seijbold) (AP/Gunnar Seijbold)
SWEDEN KRISTALLNACHT

The Jewish community of Sweden was not invited to an annual anti-Nazi event commemorating Kristallnacht due to a perceived security risk, the Swedish newspaper Norrköpings Tidningar reported.

The organizers of “Umeå against Nazism,” held in the city of Umeå last week, said that anti-Semitic and anti-Israel protests have occurred at past events and that it would be an unsafe environment for Jews.

“In previous years, we have had a lot of Palestinian flags at these rallies, and even one banner where the Israeli flag was equated with a swastika,” said the organizers, according to a JNS.org translation.

Organizer and local Workers’ Party member Jan Hägglund said, “The Jewish community wasn’t invited because we assumed they might be uncomfortable around that sort of thing.”

The event centers on Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, the massive pogrom against Austrian and German Jews that many consider to have marked the beginning of the Holocaust in 1938.

Some city officials did invite the Jewish community to rallies in protest of this exclusion, including a ceremony initiated by Umeå’s first deputy chairman of the municipal government. Agren said it the exclusion was typical for Umeå and that he felt ashamed.

By: JNS.org

Do You Love Israel? Make a Donation - Show Your Support!

Donate to vital charities that help protect Israeli citizens and inspire millions around the world to support Israel too!

Now more than ever, Israel needs your help to fight and win the war -- including on the battlefield of public opinion.

Antisemitism, anti-Israel bias and boycotts are out of control. Israel's enemies are inciting terror and violence against innocent Israelis and Jews around the world. Help us fight back!

STAND WTH ISRAEL - MAKE A DONATION TODAY!