It often seems that antisemitism in the context of criticism of Israel goes unchecked. So it’s good to see some recognition of this problem in a recent German Press Council ruling that a cartoon reproduced by Süddeutscher Zeitung violated the press code. I wrote about this case on Engage, and think it should be emphasised that the artist is not to blame here:
The press council agreed with AJC that the caricature reproduces numerous anti-Semitic stereotypes. “The ruling reinforces the message that artistic freedom cannot be used as a cloak to disguise anti-Semitism,” Berger added.
While the press council determined that publication of the cartoon violated the press code’s policy regarding discrimination, it did not censure the newspaper due to “its self-critical confrontation and apology by management” soon after the caricature’s publication.
I thought the newspaper’s response was rather weak and evasive myself – but it’s positive that concerns about the use of this cartoon seem to have been fully acknowledged.
Hat Tip: @CifWatch
