The statue commemorating Anne Frank, one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust, was defaced with pro-Palestinian graffiti for the second time on Sunday.
The statue is located in Merwedeplein, near the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
According to images published on X, the base of the statue was spray-painted with the slogan “Free Gaza” while the girl’s hands were painted with the same red color, AFP reported.
Ah yes, the notoriously pro-Israel Ann Frank. What with Israel existing before 1948.
How the fuck does this help anything?
Perhaps the GRU (Russian military intelligence) paid some petty criminals to do it, as they did with pro-Palestine graffiti on a Jewish cemetery in France a few months ago
Could be. But it could just as easily be some stupid bigots taking advantage of a bad situation.
For example, I doubt this was Russians: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/02/us/cincinnati-jewish-cemeteries-vandalism/index.html
But I do look forward for a demand that Alfred Dreyfus be exhumed so we can conduct a Cadaver Synod and re-try him for Israeli genocide in Gaza.
I do recall an instance where they paid someone to spray paint a swastika and “Azov” on some mosque in MI, back in the early days of the war.
So, they are active with these sorts of tactics in the US. But yes, this is all just speculation at this point.
I got banned from r/worldnews for suggesting same.
Hey, I was banned from that subreddit too! 😁🙂
They are ban happy. Weaksauce moderating if you ask me.
This is why lemmy deservers to remain underground.
I’ve been on Reddit for 17 years. One of the first things that drew me to it was that I found an appreciable number of people who actually gave a fuck about the Palestinians and had their eyes open about Israel. It varies by sub but in this case I found myself asking “what happened to this place?”
How the fuck does this help anything?
It helps conflate Palestinian opposition to the war in Gaza with German Fascism and the Holocaust. That’s to the benefit of Israeli Zionists.
I think Israelis doing this is the least likely of the scenarios suggested, the others being bigots and Russian operatives.
Israelis doing this
Plenty of possible culprits beyond the actual literal Israeli government. Could very well have been a troll with no political affiliation at all.
But the media coverage, the fixation on Palestinians as scary, violent, genocidal invaders, and the way this gets used to justify continued bombing in Gaza? That’s 100% right wing media.
The Gazans are in the same position as Ann Frank. Wtf.
The statue is located in Merwedeplein, near the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
The Gazans aren’t the ones doing the defacement.
It only takes 1% idiots to give enough anecdotal ammunition for the other side. It’s not the hard numbers that were ever in their favour anyway.
Exactly. Things like this happened many times in the past. And it could be that this was done by Zionists or Nazis to pin on pro-Palestinian activitists. Not saying that this is the case, but it is a possibility.
Yeah, but if you even mention false-flag conspiracies, you make it sound like you need them to have a point. We don’t, that’s just not what our larger movement is about regardless of who did it. There are Jews, like technically me, in it; it’s not anti-Jewish.
Exactly.
The news is portraying it like wow how could someone defile such a respectful thing
It is to make the message clear I dunno Anne Frank but I doubt she’d be cool with bombing Palestinians
I doubt she’d be cool with bombing Palestinians
i used to think any sane person would be; but i’m learning from this election cycle that they’re minimize it as being a “single issue voter.”
Just idiots, everyone involved. 🤦♂️
Hey! As an idiot, I resent that! I’m at least smarter than THAT!
This is more the work of the morons.
Kinda shows the stark contrast of how each are treated, especially with regards to the children.
These days, Gaza is probably safer and more comfortable than a typical Nazi death camp.
Based on what? I’m in doubt.
wp:Auschwitz concentration camp#Death toll
At least 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945, and at least 1.1 million died.[7]
Death toll is one thing. You could be housed at a luxury hotel as a death row inmate.
But the safety and living conditions is another thing.
Kids are starving and ridden with septic diseases in Gaza as well, and everyone is slowly dying with nobody coming to help. On paper it seems pretty close IMO. Sadly.
But who knows except those in the actual situation.
Graffiti artists are often not well read
I can understand the anger at Israel. But of all people, Anne Frank has the least to do with all the genocide of Palestinians.
“Let’s deface a memorial, dedicated to a young girl who was murdered by Nazis. NOW, people will have to listen to what I have to say!”
- surprised Pikachu face * “Why didn’t that work?”
I doubt there was that much thought put into it.
Pro-Palestinian idiots or Bad Actor/False Flag idiots?
People are scoffing at this, but in the UK you’ve got full blown fascist riots over the purely fictitious claim that a knife attack was perpetrated by a Muslim immigrant. The British far-right are burning mosques and storefronts in response to a social media slander.
Impossible to tell. The former is the Occam’s and Hanlon’s razor answer, though.
Both are equally stupid. Both requires the same minimum effort to commit.
There’s also the issue that if you immediately suspect false flags when your people do bad stuff, but not when the other side does, that’s not very intellectually honest. Do that and you will rightfully look full of shit.
It doesn’t represent what we’re about, stick with that.
It also doesn’t matter which “side” did it. It’s a low effort type of attack. One person with a can of spray paint can do. It should not and can not be allowed to represent either group until the perpetrator is caught and investigated.
Yeah we had russians painting anti semitic crap here in France to stir shit up.
No shortage of home grown antisemitism in France.
You French? Spend a lot of time there?
It honestly could be either.
And both options are depressing.
Hate begets hate, not calm and rational responses.
If this changes your opinion on Gaza-Israel; you are a fucking moron.
If Hamas’ fighters being hateful and commiting war crimes changes your opinion on the conflict; you are a fucking moron.
If you think no hamas fighter is hateful and has committed atrocities; you are a naive moron.
If you are wondering why Israel is wrong and Palestinians in the right despite both sides’ soldiers (and “soldiers”) committing war crimes, it’s because Israel created this situation by occupying Palestine and trying to ethnically cleanse it.
People in the West are way naive and sheltered from the realities of war, in part due to propaganda and how western war efforts have been portrayed as unrealistically “clean” and sanitized.
Good take. Except maybe missing the part where the west is complicit in the suffering of palestinians, and where the Arab nations starting a war vs. Israel taught Israel to be aggressive preemptively. And this is not an excuse, just an (incomplete) analysis how this clusterfuck came about.
How wildly misguided and disrespectful. That is assuming this was even done in earnest. Accusations of anti semitism are levied at anti-zionist action all the time and it’s hard to dismiss those accusations when legitimate anti-semitism frequently tries to associate itself with anti-zionism.
I’m not even saying this couldn’t have been done by a legitimate anti-zionist who is also antisemitic. It just continually weakens the cause of anti colonialism when other forms of bigotry crop up around us. Anti semitism in all it’s forms is completely abhorrent and unacceptable. Advocating for the liberation of Palestinians should never invoke anti-Semitic ideology.
Edit: if you’re curious how antisemitism could come to exist in leftist movements, read the comments below. Giving no thought to the impact our actions have is unacceptable. Pissing people off is not a worthy trade for making Jewish leftists feel unsafe in our movements.
It’s to make a statement and draw attention, protest is supposed to make you upset. That’s just how life works.
Ed:
About the letters, Otto wrote: ‘I often end my letters by writing: “I hope that Anne’s book will impact the rest of your life so that insofar as it is possible in your own circumstances, you will work for unity and peace.”’
Otto died on 19 August 1980. Shortly before his death, he said in an interview: ‘I am almost ninety now and my strength is slowly fading. But the mission that Anne passed on, keeps giving me new strength - to fight for ,reconciliation and for human rights across the world.’
Ie. Make the disrespect of Mrs Frank and her family visible by defacing a statue of her the same way Israel defaces Jewish history and legacy.
I get where you’re coming from but all this is going to do is fuel the fire under people who think support for Palestine is hate for the Jewish community as a whole.
People said that about MLK’s walks.
And if his walks included racist undertones those complaints would have been valid. Your rebuttal could be used against literally anything. The Oklahoma bombings were done in protest to Waco and other shit. You going to defend that protest because i think it was extremist and say it’s not the right way to protest? There’s a line and using MLK to justify crossing it is disgusting.
And if his walks included racist undertones those complaints would have been valid.
American white nationalists regularly insisted they did and claimed that they were being victimized by angry black mobs.
Subsequent efforts by Hoover’s FBI during the COINTELPRO operation aimed at black civil rights leaders attempted to stock those fears and legitimize them with fabricated evidence in support of the claim.
American white nationalists regularly insisted they did and claimed that they were being victimized by angry black mobs.
They aren’t credible.
Subsequent efforts by Hoover’s FBI during the COINTELPRO operation aimed at black civil rights leaders attempted to stock those fears and legitimize them with fabricated evidence in support of the claim.
Are you saying the person who did the defacing is an agent of the Israeli government?
They aren’t credible.
In the 1950s and 60s, they were considered extremely credible.
Are you saying the person who did the defacing is an agent of the Israeli government?
No more than I am suggesting J. Edgar Hoover was Jewish.
Yes that is my point. He wasn’t doing actual racist shit so they had to make stuff up. Genociders won’t have that problem here.
He wasn’t doing actual racist shit so they had to make stuff up.
And large numbers of White Americans believed it, because they were primed to assume colored people were monsters.
Genociders won’t have that problem here.
Stocking the hate towards Arabs is a pivotal part of the war effort against Gaza.
Calling it anti semitic is my definition making it racial, I didn’t do that.
That’s correct, it wasn’t an effective protest because it didn’t get the change he wanted but did put his word out there, right here today I could get that manifesto in less than 30 seconds.
I don’t think anyone is supporting violence like a bombing, this is literal paint. Calm down, they aren’t comparable at all.
this is literal paint.
used to deface a memorial to a victim of genocide.
To bring light to genocide.
Imagine for a second that Anne frank wasn’t a Jew just the most famous genocide victim of all time, would it then be ok to deface the statue being directly relevant to the reason for protest.
It may not be the same as a bombing but the people whose minds they’re trying to change are only going to close further because they don’t want to be seen as supporting anti-semitism. Which when you’re defacing a jewish child’s statue seems like a not so far off stretch.
It’s not at all the same thing, you’re being bombastic about stupid shit.
Defacing a genocide victims statue to bring light to an active genocide committed by members of her religion, famously mass victims of genocide now commiting genocide.
You’re part of the problem, stop with the “protest the right way” bullshit.
They did and they were wrong but his walks also did not bolster claims of anti semitism by defacing memorials to holocaust victims
It bolstered the concept of the “entitled ni**er” at the time, read a newspaper taking about it before it happened.
Please link us to articles and commentaries in such (supposed) newpapers.
I’ll look them up when I get home but your trying to get me to prove racist comments in 1964 and somehow think that’s a high bar to jump.
Either history escapes you or you are wildly ignorant.
I get that angle, I do. I just question whether the statement works or not. Do you think the majority of people will interpret these actions that way? Do you think this will paint a good picture of anti-zionist action to the wider international public? Drop the “pro-palestinian” part and the headline reads like probably neo-nazi action. And I do firmly believe that’s how it will be interpreted. I’m a revolutionary leftist like I’m all for taking action this action just serves not to advance the cause but actually to degrade it. This action legitimizes accusations of anti semitism levied at anti zionists. That is exactly how it will be interpreted that is the exact story they will tell.
They’ll always try and accuse us of being antisemitic, see the college protests for example. But that was contentious like the public was not united in opposition to that because protesting on campus is not on its face value antisemitic. But defacing a statue of a girl who was murdered in a genocide of jewish people does NOT come across as anti-zionist action. We do NOT have to stir up outrage over disrespecting holocaust victims to advocate for Palestinian liberation.
Not to mention can we not have some respect for Jewish people within our movement? How do you think this makes them feel? An innocent girl who died due to virulent antisemitic hatred being brought into a conflict over another genocide. Jewish people tell us they don’t always feel safe in leftist circles. This is also not helping that in any way
I think the conversation is only elevated the now annoyed they are about the protest act. Historically effective protest is to literally rattle as many cages as possible, people get annoyed and take a side.
English suffrage was only gained by breaking windows, burning buildings, donning cardboard armor then learning judo and beating the absolute shit out of cops.
Ed: I think it’s more disrespectful for her to drag the Jewish faith along with Zionists solely because they claim the same religion, that’s the whole point of attacking a famous Jew that cannot physically be harmed only defaced temporarily.
To be clear, totally down with civil unrest. This is not civil unrest. This is defacing a statue of a universally known holocaust victim. A victim who was a helpless child.
Rattling the cage of “innocent victims of genocide” is literally the last fucking cage anyone should ever rattle like what are you talking about. This is the shit that neo nazis do. This action puts us in league with neonazis in the mind of the majority of the public like what do you mean?? Also how is defacing genocide victim statues doing anything to further our cause of international recognition of the genocide of Palestinian?
Break some windows. Civil unrest, fight back against the states that support this genocide. No question yea do that. Don’t deface Anne Franke statues like I genuinely can’t even believe this has to be said. Again, how do you think this makes jewish anti-zionists feel? Does this make them feel welcome in our movement?
Correct that’s protest, the fact that you find it repugnant is irrelevant. You’re talking about it, you wouldn’t be if they painted pro Palestine stuff anywhere else.
Anne and her father are both dead and their family aren’t pro Israel, just as an fyi because their cages literally couldn’t get rattled. I meant people like you, people more wrapped up in the statue and it’s visage than the reason it was defaced in the first place. Yes, everyone protests, that’s not the dig you think it is.
This is a broken window, it hurts literally no one and says a lot. Are you arguing for other means that often turn more violent than anonymous defacement? Why? You’re valuing a chunk of material depicting a famous over millions of Innocent Palestinians, why is that?
This is a broken window, it hurts literally no one and says a lot. Are you arguing for other means that often turn more violent than anonymous defacement? Why? You’re valuing a chunk of material depicting a famous over millions of Innocent Palestinians, why is that?
What’s your opinion of Qur’an burnings and depictions of the pedophile prophet?
Legit speech, go for it.
Though I will point out three fact that the only one who’s being objectively racist and bigoted here is you just now with that statement.
You like Jews and don’t like Muslims, good for you but maybe keep your hate speech to yourself.
Did you miss the part where i said that I understood the intent but am calling out how this makes our movement look like fucking neo nazis? Do you want to re read what I’ve said please before throwing more baseless accusations at me?
No I wouldn’t give a shit if they painted pro Palestine messages on any non-holocaust related memorials. Because that wouldn’t make us look like neo nazis. This does. People are going to talk about this on the news today and millions of people will shake their head and lend more credence to claims that we are antisemites. And Jewish anti zionists now know that due to their religion some anti zionists are entirely willing to throw them under a bus in the name of “rattling cages”.
It doesn’t make anyone look like neo Nazis aside from the people who cannot see duality.
Yes she’s a Jew, neat.
She’s also the most famous victim of genocide ever.
There’s a current genocide that is being committed by isrealis a famously majority Jewish nation.
The fact that you can’t see her as anything but a Jew is more telling of you than anyone else.
This is how people confuse Jews with Zionists and Israelis. Sometimes they overlap, sometimes they are only one of the options, but they are not synonyms.
Appalling but antisemitism is becoming increasingly mainstream in Europe unfortunately
Which makes the idea of a Zionist state all the more justified. Happy, or more aptly less sad, the European Jews who spent the years between 1935 to 1945 in Palestine, and not the antisemitic shithole that was Europe (and by “Europe” I also mean United Kingdom and Russia/the USSR).
Haviv Rettig Gur put it very accurately and concisely, if brutally, in a lecture he gave recently:
For Jews In the 21st century, you either learned English or Hebrew or you were killed.
As a Brit myself (English, Catholic, English as far back as Ancestry can tell etc.) I’m really ashamed of this country since October 7th. It’s as if we felt that we had been impervious to the very deep, ancient cancer of antisemitism due to WW2. And that seems to have left us even more defenceless than many other European states which have at least tried at points to contain this.
Brave anti-imperialists at it again!
Netenyahoo should be responsible for cleaning it
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If we’re talking about 1940’s Gaza, wouldn’t it have made more sense defacing an Egyptian statue?
The person who did this didn’t really care about which statue if was. They also defaced (among others) a statue of Ghandi.
https://nos.nl/artikel/2531752-beeld-anne-frank-en-andere-monumenten-in-amsterdam-beklad-met-free-gaza (In dutch) has pictures
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