23. 03. 2005

SINGER: ALL WAS PLANNED

BELGRADE, March 23, 2005 – The graffiti and posters with anti-Semitic and chauvinistic messages have appeared on several locations in Belgrade yesterday. President of the Council of Jewish municipalities Aca Singer says that they have reported similar cases before, but that the police did not take any appropriate measures and arrest the perpetrators, adding that he was convinced the yesterday’s synchronized appearance of the graffiti on several locations in Belgrade was not accidental. “I am absolutely sure that it was an organized activity. We are not however surprised, since we have had similar anti-Semitic graffiti appearing on our graveyard and in our municipality before. The only novelty here is that similar messages appeared on other locations as well. The authors are probably the same”, said Singer. Singer believes that the anti-Semitic messages are more damageable to Serbia than to Jewish people living here. “There are not so many Jewish people here, and I cannot say why they blame us for the things we have nothing to do with”, Singer said. Noting that these events would only degrade Serbia in the eyes of international public, Singer said that, although there were no appropriate reactions of the institutions to their previous appeals, he did not want to put forward the complaint to the international organizations. “I don’t want this issue to be internationalized. Our country has already been criticized enough that we do not need new condemnations. We don’t want them to say that Serbia is criticized because of us. It seems that the Serbian nation, with respect to the individuals, is generally tolerant to Jewish people and other nations. But unfortunately, what is happening at the moment truly reminds me of Hitler’s Germany. Unemployment and poverty are high, and they all need usual suspects”, said Singer, adding that he was surprised by the total absence of reactions of some Serbian intellectuals and the Serbian Orthodox Church to the anti-Semitic graffiti and publications.