NEW YORK (Press Release)–The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Sunday, Nov. 1, condemned remarks by an Austrian parliamentarian in which she heartily agreed with a comment posted on Facebook that “Zionists money Jews are the global problem.”
Susanne Winter, a parliamentarian and member of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), wrote in response to an anti-Semitic post by Oehlmann Hans-Jörg, “It is great. You are taking the words right out of my mouth. There are a lot of things I am not allowed to write. Therefore I’m even more pleased about courageous, independent people.”
Winter appears to have subsequently deleted the post from her Facebook page.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO, who is currently on a mission to Belgium and France for a series of meeting with European officials and public figures as well as Jewish community leaders, issued the following statement:
“Once again, a member of Austria’s Freedom Party has been caught promoting offensive anti-Semitic stereotypes. Susanne Winter’s response to the outrageous comments about Jews and money on her Facebook page shows that, when prompted, she would willingly endorse the worst kind of anti-Semitic stereotypes. These are the same grotesque notions that have bedeviled European Jews for hundreds of years.
“Anti-Semitic stereotypes simply have no place in Austrian society. It is bad enough when they are whispered privately, but far worse when such hateful views emanate directly from a member of parliament who has a bully pulpit to express her ideas. We hope that all members of the Austrian government will forcefully condemn these remarks and make clear that they are unacceptable.”
ADL’s 2014 Global 100 Survey that 28 percent of the Austrian public harbors deep seated anti-Semitic attitudes. Fully 37 percent of Austrian adults surveyed agreed with the statement that, “Jews have too much power in the business world.” (Preceding provided by the Anti-Defamation League)