German newspaper Bild, the largest circulation in the country, broadcasted a documentary on anti-Semitism among European Muslims that was canceled by French-German television channel Arteon the ground that it was too pro-Israel.
Arte originally commissioned the film “Chosen and Excluded — The Hate for Jews in Europe” by German producers Joachim Schröder and Sophie Hafner.
The film, which covers the various forms of Jew hatred that prevail in Europe and showcases the relationship between anti-Semitism and bashing of Israel within the media, was uploaded to Bild‘s website under the headline “Jew-Hatred: Bild Shows the Documentary Which Arte Won’t.”
Last week, Arte decided to cancel its showing of the documentary, claiming that the final version of the documentary did not conform to the remit agreed with its producers when it was commissioned. In fact the channel found the film ‘’too pro-Israel.’’
According to Alain Le Diberder, Programme Director at Arte, the film’s overwhelming focus on the Middle East was so far removed from the original remit given to the producers that it had to be turned down.
He said that the rejection on these grounds should not be taken as an “assessment of the quality of the film or its thesis.”
The refusal to broadcast the film has been harshly criticized by public figures, among them scholars, politicians and artists who acclaimed the documentary.
Bild showcased a list of well-known German commentators praising the film, including Matthias Kuentzel, whose several books include a study of Germany’s relations with Iran, and Ahmad Mansour, a Middle East analyst who accused Arte of “having problems with reality.”
The 90-minute documentary covers anti-Semitism in children’s programming in the Middle East, physical threats to Jews in French and German cities and the role of anti-Semitism in the media.
Presenting the various ways in which anti-Semitism is expressed in contemporary Europe, the documentary shows right-wing Neo-Nazis, the anti-Israel BDS campaign and a demonstrator dressed like a hippie who designates himself a libertarian and praises the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” Anti-Semitism among worker’s rights activists in France is featured alongside cases of Muslim Jew-hatred, some of which culminate in the torturing and cold-blooded murder of Jews.
Paying special attention to the denigration of the state of Israel as one of the most prevalent contemporary forms of Jew-hatred, the documentary highlights the activities of NGOs that engage in anti-Semitic Israel bashing while receiving European tax money. In order to contextualize anti-Semitic libel about the Jewish state by contrasting it with the reality on the ground, the producers included footage from Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The European political support of anti-Semitism targeting Israel is presented in the film, including a speech by the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the European Parliament earlier this year in which he told MEPs that rabbis urged Israel’s government to poison Arab water supplies. The European Parliament, including his then-president Martin Schultz rewarded Abbas with a standing ovation.
Anti-Semitism is traced, among others, in Germany, France, Belgium, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, including that of Muslims.
The producer, Joachim Schroeder, denied Arte’s claim, saying that he delivered by filming anti-Semitism in Germany and France. A 90-minute film can’t possibly cover antisemitism “from Oslo to Minsk,” he added.
He told The Jerusalem Post that Arte’s editors failed to recognize that “modern anti-Semitism is anti-Zionism.”
He added that there is fierce opposition within European television outlets to refrain from bashing Israel.