Jubelperser for Israel
Jerusalem Post, 05. März 2009
Jubelperser (Cheering Persians) is a well-known expression in
Germany, describing a group of Iranians who were hired to cheer in the crowd
during the Shah’s visit in West Berlin during the year 1967. The Jubelperser
escalated the situation by clubbing protesters under the eyes of the police.
The same evening, the police killed a student, what led to massive student
protests in West Berlin and West Germany. Today Jubelperser describes
people who indiscriminatingly copy phrases and statements from other important
persons, especially governments. In the article Let the Left go forward
by Benjamin-Christopher Krüger and Sebastian Voigt, the federal spokespersons
of the so called BAK Shalom, Krüger and the sympathizer Voigt
discuss the attitude of the German left towards the State of Israel from
their point of view and then advertise for the working group with the friendly
name “Peace”. They say that this group within the Left Party’s
youth (‘solid) “aims to fight anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism,
anti-Americanism and regressive anti-capitalism”. Those are noble
motives. But both do not talk about how they behave in this fight. This
group often refuses discussions. An Interview proposed by the leftist newspaper
junge Welt (young World) has been rejected – officially due
to the newspapers attitude towards the situation in Zimbabwe. The absurdity
of this argument is evident. The only “policy” of ‘solid’s
working group BAK Shalom is to defame politicians who have different
political positions. The BAK Shalom sees anti-Semitism at every
street corner. This is the perfect way of preventing every discussion and
defaming political opponents. Benjamin-Christopher Krüger once avoided
a serious discussion by saying to me: “I could try to enlighten you
– but I think this would not help you!”
And even lying does not seem to be off limits if their trustworthiness is
at stick, as they have proven lately by first accusing Norman Paech of anti-Semitism
and later denying the calumniation.
The Left Party does not have a single position towards the conflict
in the Middle East. It is nonetheless common sense that violence is not
a way of solving problems. While the Trotskyist platform marx21
still discusses its position regarding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict,
a first contribution to the discussion proposed that the Palestinians and
the Israelis should live in a unified democratic state. The Left Party’s
spokesperson for international affairs, Wolfgang Gehrcke, tends to the solution
of the Geneva Accord. The more reformist party leader Gregor Gysi is in
favor of solidarity with Israel but also warned of apartheid in the Holy
Land. The BAK Shalom does not present any solutions to the Israeli–Palestinian
conflict.
The executive committee of ‘solid already tried to punish
the BAK Shalom because their political actions are excessive by
common standards. This reflects best the status of this group within the
Left Party. Also, the above-mentioned article doesn’t say
how many members this group has. The party has about 76.600 members (‘solid
has about 8300 members), while the working group has about 30 members. It
is common sense within the left that the BAK Shalom is not leftist.
BAK Shalom is a group of Jubelperser – but not cheering the
Islamic Republic of Iran but the State of Israel, whatever policy is made
by the Israeli government.
David Noack, born 19.12.1988 in Berlin, is student of politics and history.
Also David Noack is spokesperson of the SDS.Greifswald, member
of the state board of the Left Party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
and has published several articles in different media (for example www.german-foreign-policy.com).
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