The European Jewish Association (EJA) plans to sue a Belgian columnist and the media group DPG for publishing an antisemitic article that incited violence against Jews.
The lawsuit, supported by the Shomrei HaDat community and the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, will be filed next week before an investigating judge in Ghent, Belgium.
Earlier this month, the Belgian magazine Humo published an article by Flemish columnist Herman Brusselmans, in which he wrote, "I am so angry I want to shove a sharp knife into the throat of every Jew I encounter." The article was met with widespread criticism and was subsequently removed from the magazine's website a few days after publication.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the EJA, likened the case to "a modern-day Dreyfus trial," emphasizing its global significance. "People are watching to see if the court will protect Jews in Belgium, who find themselves fearing for their lives as incitement spreads from the dark corners of social media to mainstream media here," Margolin said.
He further stated, "This trial will have a significant impact on how law enforcement authorities in Belgium and beyond address hate speech and incitement against minorities. The hope is that the judges will recognize the severe incitement against Jews in Belgium, reminiscent of the 1930s, which ultimately led to the Holocaust. We expect the court to declare that freedom of expression cannot be abused to incite hatred against innocent citizens or encourage violence against them. The European Jewish Association will pursue justice and the protection of Jewish life through legal action against the DPG media group."
Following public outcry, the article was removed from the magazine's website. In response, Humo's Deputy Editor-in-Chief Matthias Vanden Spek issued a statement: "Of course, it was never our intention to offend the Jewish community. If it did, we apologize. This is also why we ultimately decided to remove the article from the website."