Polish Nationalists Use Anti-Semitic Rhetoric At New York Protest
Polish nationalists protest a Holocaust restitution bill in New York City. Image by Molly Crabapple/Twitter
By Josefin Dolsten April 3, 2019
NEW YORK (JTA) — Polish nationalists protested in New York City against a bill designed to help Holocaust survivors and their descendants reclaim lost property in Poland.
Hundreds of people participated in the protest on Sunday in Foley Square and some employed anti-Semitic rhetoric. One protester held a sign calling to the “stop Holocaust industry,” while others questioned how many Polish Jews were killed during World War II, according to author Molly Crabapple, who posted photos from the event on Twitter.
Polish nationalists held signs saying “stop the holocaust industry” and accusing Jews of welcoming Nazi and Soviet invasions pic.twitter.com/pGeMCP4SmH
— Molly Crabapple (@mollycrabapple) March 31, 2019
One protestor told Crabapple that the Jews of Warsaw were “mostly killed by other Jews.”
They were protesting a law, which President Trump signed last year, called the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today Act.
The measure requires the State Department to report on how certain European countries have progressed in returning wrongfully confiscated or transferred Holocaust-era assets. It does not mention Poland specifically, but Poland is the only European country that has not passed laws to compensate those who lost their property and other assets during World War II.
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief
