One of the last remaining Auschwitz survivors has launched a blistering
attack on Israel over its occupation of Palestine as he began a lecture
tour of Scotland.
Dr Hajo Meyer, 86, who survived 10 months in the Nazi death camp,
spoke out as his 10-day tour of the UK and Ireland – taking in three
Scottish venues – got under way. His comments sparked a furious
reaction from hardline Jewish lobby groups, with Dr Meyer branded an
“anti-Semite” and accused of abusing his position as a Holocaust
survivor.
Dr Meyer also attended hearings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on
Thursday, where five pro-Palestine campaigners are accused of racially
aggravated conduct after disrupting a concert by the Jerusalem Quartet
at the city’s Queen’s Hall.
Speaking as his tour got under way, Dr Meyer said there were
parallels between the treatment of Jews by Germans in the Second World
War and the current treatment of Palestinians by Israelis.
He said: “The Israelis tried to dehumanise the Palestinians, just
like the Nazis tried to dehumanise me. Nobody should dehumanise any
other and those who try to dehumanise another are not human.
“It may be that Israel is not the most cruel country in the world …
but one thing I know for sure is that Israel is the world champion in
pretending to be civilised and cultured.”
Dr Meyer was born in 1924 in B… >>>
