The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, the country’s EJC affiliate, has strongly condemned a new attack launched against Jews by religious official Ahmet Mete.
In a statement, the Board said that recent publications had claim that, at a speech of Mete at the Kentavros Mosque in Xanthi, a city in north-eastern Greece, the self-proclaimed Mufti Ahmet Mete stated the following: “I accused the Jews of being murderers of infants because they slaughtered infants… Look; I would even accuse my father if he had also killed infants. How can anyone kill an infant, a defenceless infant? If they came and killed, robbed and did unacceptable things to our children, would we say nothing? Religion upholds that, as a Muslim, if someone among you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then hate him with his heart”.
On 26th April, Mete was sentenced to eight months suspended imprisonment for saying that Hitler was right to turn the Jews into soap. “The rhetoric of hatred that causes violence to the detriment of the Jews cannot be tolerated in a country that seeks the harmonious coexistence of all its citizens regardless of colour, race or religion,” the statement said. ‘We are confident that the authorities of the Greek State will safeguard this constitutional right and will take all necessary measures against the preachers of hatred and fanaticism.”
