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The films show a small crowd with clenched fists shouting in Arabic:
– Jews, remember Khaybar, Mohammad’s army returns.
According to the Central Jewish Council, the sentence cannot be interpreted as anything other than a call for “murder and purges of Jews”, as Khaybar was a place where Jews were murdered by the Prophet Muhammad and his followers in 628.
According to the people who were present at Rosengård on Friday evening, the Jewish Central Council appears to be justified in its interpretation.
Freelance journalist Victor Pressfeldt was present and followed the events throughout the afternoon until Saturday night, confirming that he heard the anti-Semitic rhyme sung throughout the night.
– Yes, I heard it a couple of times at least. There was a boy who translated for me from Arabic and he himself was very upset by what was being shouted. He said that “now it is no longer my demonstration, but now they want to kill Jews.” I thought it was creepy.
“Islamists and ISIS supporters seemed to move among the protesters”
According to Victor Pressfeldt, there were several in the area who reacted to anti-Semitism, but also to the opinion of religious extremists in the crowd.
– There were several I spoke to who were upset that Islamists and ISIS supporters seemed to be moving among the protesters. So there were internal tensions both among those who participated in the demonstration and among those who participated in the riot, I would say.
The police are aware of the films circulating and are now investigating the matter as an alleged hate crime.
“We have taken a self-initiated police report, and the Jewish community has also made a report on it,” says Ewa-Gun Westford, Malmö police press spokesman.
Are there any movies that have been verified yet?
– I cannot verify it at this time, but the report is busy and an investigation will be carried out.
Fredrik Sieradzki, spokesman for the Jewish congregation in Malmö, believes that the facts indicate that Malmö has a long way to go to overcome the anti-Semitism that still flourishes in the city.
– Of course we think this is unpleasant. And of course there is a malaise in the church because these are things that we have heard before. It is a sign that we have a long way to go in Malmö. We have to work hard on these issues and it is not something that is done on a coffee break.
“I saw the clip and was pissed off”
In recent years, Rabbi Moshe-David HaCohen of the Jewish congregation and Imam Salahuddin Barakat have actively worked to achieve greater understanding and dialogue between different religious groups in Malmö, and Fredrik Sieradzki is careful to point out the importance of not speculating about who is behind the content. at the cinema.
– We have contact with Muslim networks and they talk about how we should work more on these issues. The last thing we’re going to do right now is speculate.
An imam who spent a lot of time in Rosengård and who was also present during the riots last Friday is Samir Muric. He says that he himself did not hear any anti-Semitic slogans, but that he saw a clip shared on Facebook.
– I saw the clip and was pissed off. I really hope you find out who they are and that they are convicted of incitement to ethnic groups. I also sent an email to the Jewish congregation to show them my empathy, he says.
“I was surprised when I heard that the anger was directed at the Jews.”
Malmöite Salomea Gosenius, 20, has long been involved in Jewish life in Malmö. Before Friday, she felt anxious and on Saturday her anxiety was confirmed.
– I was prepared for that to happen because it is quite common for such issues to turn into anti-Semitism. But of course I am surprised that it comes from the counter-protesters because both Muslims and Jews are a target group for right-wing extremists. We are a bit in the same boat, so I was still a bit surprised when I heard that the anger was directed directly at the Jews.
Salomea Gosenius says that she is one of the many people who fight for Jewish youth to stay in Malmö. She sees the events of this weekend as a setback for the future Jew in the city.
– This type of event with specific threats only makes it go in the wrong direction. We Jews in Malmö have already experienced many things, and this only makes the situation worse. If people get more scared, they will move.
