After commissioning a documentary on European anti-Semitism, Arte, the Franco/German TV network that solicited the film has scandalously refused to air it. The acclaimed documentary has been censored because it dares to tell the truth - namely that there are shockingly high levels of anti-Semitism in Europe and that much of it is driven by rabid anti-Zionist and anti-Israel sentiment from the political Left and immigrant Muslim communities. These politically inconvenient truths must be confronted, not censored. The phony explanations from Arte's Program Director, Alain Le Diberder, for why they have refused to broadcast the film simply do not pass the "red face" test.
The sad reality is that most contemporary anti-Semitism seeks to masquerade as legitimate criticism of Israel. However, as the US State Department has identified, when that criticism is characterized by demonization and de-legitimization and the application of outrageous double standards, then the mask is ripped off and it is clear that it is the same old ugly, evil hatred of the Jewish people dressed up in a new costume.
This ugly racism and hatred is stalking much of Europe and it must be exposed, called out, and confronted. The Lantos Foundation commends the German newspaper Bild for broadcasting the film, "Chosen and Excluded- Jew Hatred in Europe", on its website for 24 hours but this is not enough.
The film must be screened and made available to the public and more importantly, the disturbing truths it reveals must be addressed by governments and civil society across the European continent.