Belgium: a carnival with strong anti-Semitic hints

Audio 03:17

By: Pierre Benazet

"Degenerates" denounces MEP Raphaël Glucksmann on social networks after the Sunday parade of the Aalst carnival in Belgium. This city of East Flanders is famous for its carnival which has been deleted from the UNESCO list of the intangible heritage of humanity. The atmosphere is certainly festive, but the 2020 edition provokes a considerable outcry in Belgium where the parade is accused of outrageous anti-Semitism.

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In this year's edition, the parade included a float with a caricature of a Jew wearing caps or papillotes and a streimel , these fur hats worn by the Hasidim or Orthodox Jews. He was represented with a huge hooked nose, all the codes of anti-Semitic stereotypes. This chariot was followed a little further by a parade of insects, ants decked out in the same headgear. We also saw passing a Lamentation wall built in gold bars, in short all the elements capable of triggering the controversy, which seems to have been the intention of the groups responsible.

Reactions that did not take long

Sophie Wilmès , the Prime Minister, published a press release affirming that this “ damages our values ” as well as the reputation of Belgium. The Belgian Center for Equal Opportunities has already received 25 complaints and in the media or social networks, the outrage is increasing.

" A shame ", " what contempt ", " it's abject ; incomprehensible humor "," calamitous image of Belgium "," incitement to hatred ", the reactions come especially from the French-speaking side like for example the mayor of Brussels who speaks of" obstinacy in error ".

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A very controversial carnival

The 2019 edition had seen the same chariot that came out this year and Unesco had started to examine the withdrawal and the town hall asked itself to be removed from the list. According to commentators, this request had acted as an incentive for the groups with the most dubious humor with the idea that during this carnival, everything is allowed. We even saw in the parade, Unesco, assimilated to a kind of political police threatening to impose a dictatorship of thought.

Antisemitic spills in spades

Already in 2013, there had been in the parade " carnival " disguised as SS officers. They intended to denounce the politicians of the Neo-Flemish Alliance, the N-VA, renamed by them SS-VA, but their jovial appearance and the applause received had made people cry for the trivialization of Nazism. Unesco had distanced itself at the time, but last year the UN organization was accused of having delayed reacting.

The mayor of Aalst, Christophe D'Haese, who also refused last year to meet Jewish organizations, replies that in his city, we can laugh at everything and that a carnival is just a moment where everything is allowed. " It is to forget a little quickly , reply the commentators, that the historic carnival was a moment of reversal of the roles between dominated and dominant, and not the crushing of minorities by the most powerful. "

The mayor, or mayor, of Aalst, Christophe D'Haese, during a press conference on February 23, 2020. AFP / Juliette Bruynseels

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