French TV cuts Facebook live feed from Jewish cemetery after anti-Semitic abuse

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French TV cuts Facebook live feed from Jewish cemetery after anti-Semitic abuse

By Luke Baker

 

FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron looks at a grave vandalised with a swastika during a visit at the Jewish cemetery in Quatzenheim, France February 19, 2019. Frederick Florin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

 

PARIS (Reuters) - A French TV channel said on Wednesday it had been forced to cut short a live Facebook broadcast from a desecrated Jewish cemetery in eastern France because of an onslaught of anti-Semitic commentary.

 

Separately, two swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans were found painted in red on a monument at a different cemetery near Lyon.

 

"Our country is confronted with a resurgence of anti-Semitism undoubtedly without precedent since the Second World War," President Emmanuel Macron said later on Tuesday in an annual speech to Jewish leaders in France.

 

France 3 television said it went live from the first cemetery in the village of Quatzenheim on Tuesday as President Emmanuel Macron was visiting to pay his respects after more than 90 graves were vandalised with swastikas and anti-Semitic abuse.

 

But as it broadcast footage online to its more than 1.3 million Facebook followers, the feed was inundated with anti-Semitic commentary and abuse.

"We are talking about explicit death threats, comments that were openly anti-Semitic and racist, including "Heil Hitler", "dirty Jew" or "dirty Jews", comments that were addressed at Emmanuel Macron and representatives of the Jewish community," the channel said in a statement explaining its decision.

 

"Within minutes, the number of vile and illegal comments had gone well beyond our capacity to moderate them," it explained, adding that it would have taken 10 or 20 staff to handle the onslaught. "We refuse to traffic in hatred."

 

ALARM

The attacks on the cemeteries are the latest in a series of incidents across France in recent weeks that have alarmed the Jewish community and prompted calls for harder hitting legislation against those responsible.

 

In reaction to the upsurge in anti-Semitic incidents, Macron told Jewish leaders that a bill would be introduced by May aimed at curbing hate speech on the internet.

 

Macron said it would require internet platforms to quickly take down hate speech and identify the authors.

 

On Tuesday evening, some 20,000 people, joined by politicians from all parties, gathered at the Place de la Republique in central Paris to denounce anti-Semitism. Similar rallies were held in cities across the country.

 

While France is home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, with a community of around 550,000 people, there continues to be a steady drip-feed of anti-Semitic attacks. Commentators have blamed incitement not only from the far-right but from the far-left and fringe Islamists.

 

In 2018, the number of anti-Semitic incidents increased by 74 percent nationwide, figures released last week showed, despite having fallen somewhat in previous years.

 

(Writing by Luke Baker; Additional reporting by Catherine Lagrange in Lyon and Jean-Baptiste Vey and Leigh Thomas; Editing by Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-21

[Topdoc]

No electorate should stand for politicians who favour minority groups before their own people. The same has happened in the UK too. Here's Joan Ryan MP accepting £1 million under the table from the Israeli Embassy for spreading Israeli influence. Is this GOOD???  

 

[DoctorG]

Obviously there are some really vile people on the internet but one needs to be careful that the banning of hate speech does not curtail normal dissident free speech. It is easy for governments to use the hate speech laws to crack down on opponents. Just look at the many instances in the UK where police are investigating "non-crimes" that question current social issues.

[SheungWan]

Waiting for the usual Hard Left/Hard Right spin artists to try kicking it into the long grass.

[Benmart]

45 minutes ago, Topdoc said:

No electorate should stand for politicians who favour minority groups before their own people. The same has happened in the UK too. Here's Joan Ryan MP accepting £1 million under the table from the Israeli Embassy for spreading Israeli influence. Is this GOOD???  

 

Where is the reference in the article that mentioned the UK? Some have trouble staying on topic.

[car720]

3 hours ago, Benmart said:

Where is the reference in the article that mentioned the UK? Some have trouble staying on topic.

What does it matter the UK or France or anywhere else for that matter.  He is discussing the core of the topic and I believe that is about people having certain feelings about others.