Satire isn’t a defense for antisemitism and hate

Dan Sobovitz is a human rights activist. He’s a former adviser to European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and a board member of the Brussels Secular Jewish Community Center (CCLJ).

“… I get so angry that I want to ram a sharp knife in the throat of every Jew I meet. Of course, you always have to remember: Not every Jew is a murderous bastard, and to give shape to that thought, I imagine an elderly Jewish man shuffling down my own street, dressed in a washed-out shirt, fake cotton pants and old sandals, and I feel sorry for him and almost tear up, but a moment later, I wish him to hell.”

The above paragraph wasn’t published by der Der Stürmer in the 1930s. It’s not in a manifesto of the Islamic State or the Ku Klux Klan. It was published in August 2024 by mainstream Flemish magazine Humo and written by one of Belgium’s best-selling authors, Herman Brusselmans.

The publication of such offensive language naturally sparked public outcry and even legal charges against the magazine, and the piece has subsequently been taken down. Yet, both the author and the publication refuse to see the problem. They insist it was “satire,” and that those who consider it tasteless or antisemitic are taking it out of context. But I fail to see in what context it could be considered legitimate or satirical, against Jews or any other group.

I have spent the past months arguing that criticism of Israel is perfectly legitimate — whether I agree with the criticism or not — and that it shouldn’t be labeled as antisemitic. This includes the debate on whether Israel is conducting a genocide in Gaza, the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, as well as calls to free Palestine from Israeli occupation. Even opposing Zionism — the ideology Israel was founded on as a homeland for the Jewish people — is fair play in my view. It’s a political movement that had a significant impact on various groups over the past century, and can therefore be critiqued like any other national movement for self-determination. 

However, the above example crosses every reasonable redline.

Holding diaspora Jews accountable for what the government of Israel is doing is as intellectually honest as holding every Muslim responsible for the crimes of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or every person of Belgian descent for the atrocities in the Congo. But Brusselmans didn’t stop at generalizing, stereotyping or even inciting hate. He went a step further into encouraging violence of the worst type: He described a passionate desire to kill any Jew coming his way.

Even in the second sentence of the above quote, as the author’s allegedly “contextualizing” that not all Jews are evil, he maintains his contempt and dehumanizing language toward so many whose names he doesn’t know nor cares to ask. To him, it is irrelevant whether the nameless Jew he passionately hates supports the war in Gaza or Israel or not. His hate is blind.

Free speech is the cornerstone of a healthy democratic society. But even free speech has its limits. Yes, criticism of the Israeli government’s policies, or those of any government, are definitely legitimate. Blasphemy or ridiculing religious symbols may be tasteless and short-sighted in my view, but I would fight for its right to be expressed in a free society. But hate speech and incitement of violence against any group is where we must draw the line. 

If you’re reading POLITICO, chances are you’re a minority in Belgium. And you also probably wouldn’t appreciate reading in a Belgian newspaper that a best-selling author in this country can’t resist cutting your throat. True, the Humo article was “only” targeting Jews, but history has shown us how societies that were unwelcoming or unsafe for one minority quickly became unsafe for any minority.

Today, the rate of antisemitic incidents in Belgium is rising at an alarming rate, with members of the Jewish community testifying to a feeling of insecurity. Antisemitism is the oldest form of racism we know, and we have witnessed its most catastrophic implementation across European history. So, if you speak up against racism, Islamophobia, homophobia or misogyny, don’t turn a blind eye now.