You Jew, You Arab!
2010, Krytyka Polityczna, nr 22, Prze-moc [Over-come]; As Salam, nr 2/3 (20/21) 2010/1431
The language of 1930s anti-Semitic propaganda is surprisingly similar to the present-day hate speech against Muslims. A similar iconography and similar themes. The alienation of the other is effected by likening them to an animal - ape, larva or worm, and if to another man, then to a degenerate, a primitive, a tramp, retarded and mentally handicapped. Territorial expansiveness, spreading of diseases, cunning and dishonesty, threat to national values, responsibility for armed conflicts and financial crises, a global conspiracy, depravation of children and youth, sexual deviations, parleying with the devil and attacking the Church - these are but some of the trespasses attributed.
This speech emerged in the course of the long historical process of Jews' exclusion from European culture and although we all know where it eventually led, we continue using this language, in Poland legitimised by the government and media, with reference to Muslims today. We have been educated to spot instances of anti-Semitism. We have learnt to recognise elements of hatred, contempt or simply unfair treatment of Jews in language and iconography. At the same time, the same images, studied for years, have become obvious, iconic, powerless, almost transparent. So transparent that they have become a hard and obvious formula of rejection that today, with all the power of a newfound hatred, is being used against Muslims.
Our vigilance has failed us. The idea of juxtaposing the language of anti-Semitic propaganda, particularly that from the 1930s, with the contemporary hate language used against Muslims occurred to the artist at a special moment. On 27th March 2010, a street protest took place against the planned construction of a Muslim Culture Centre in Ochota, Warsaw. The protest was organized by Stowarzyszenie Europa Przyszłości [Europe of the Future Association], dominated by pseudo-Buddhists from the Diamond Way group founded and led by a guru, the Danish-born Islamophobe, Ole Nydahl. The demonstration was attended by members of the Association as well as by activists of the nationalist organisations All-Polish Youth and Radical-National Camp (ONR), accompanied by all those who do not want Muslims in Poland. Photographs published by Krytyka Polityczna show banners saying, ‘Please support Mr Geert Wilders'. Next to it, an Israeli flag.
The demonstration triggered a debate on how the Polish media report on Islam and Poles' attitude towards it. A commentary by Miłada Jędrysik, published in Gazeta Wyborcza on 25th March 2010, read, "The Polish protest may seem grotesque against this background. In Italy, there are 1 million Muslims and 250 mosques. In the UK, about 1.5 million. … For now, however, mass immigration of Muslims is not something Poland should fear. This makes the position of Europe of the Future all the more unacceptable. The organisation not only strives to restrict the rights of Polish-based Muslims, including those who hold Polish citizenship, but also rolls out xenophobic guns against an enemy so weak that it's a double shame." Miłada Jędrysik is absolutely right. But something still worried Rajkowska. She decided to play with words and here is the result: ‘The Polish protest may seem grotesque against this background. In Italy, there are 1 million Jews and 250 synagogues. In the UK, about 1.5 million. … For now, however, mass immigration of Jews is not something Poland should fear. This makes the position of Europe of the Future all the more unacceptable. The organisation not only strives to restrict the rights of Polish-based Jews, including those who hold Polish citizenship, but also rolls out xenophobic guns against an enemy so weak that it's a double shame.' It is indeed a double shame. The above article notwithstanding, the artist decided to find out whether the language of 1930s anti-Semitic propaganda and the present-day hate speech against Muslims have anything in common.
This speech emerged in the course of the long historical process of Jews' exclusion from European culture and although we all know where it eventually led, we continue using this language, in Poland legitimised by the government and media, with reference to Muslims today. We have been educated to spot instances of anti-Semitism. We have learnt to recognise elements of hatred, contempt or simply unfair treatment of Jews in language and iconography. At the same time, the same images, studied for years, have become obvious, iconic, powerless, almost transparent. So transparent that they have become a hard and obvious formula of rejection that today, with all the power of a newfound hatred, is being used against Muslims.
Our vigilance has failed us. The idea of juxtaposing the language of anti-Semitic propaganda, particularly that from the 1930s, with the contemporary hate language used against Muslims occurred to the artist at a special moment. On 27th March 2010, a street protest took place against the planned construction of a Muslim Culture Centre in Ochota, Warsaw. The protest was organized by Stowarzyszenie Europa Przyszłości [Europe of the Future Association], dominated by pseudo-Buddhists from the Diamond Way group founded and led by a guru, the Danish-born Islamophobe, Ole Nydahl. The demonstration was attended by members of the Association as well as by activists of the nationalist organisations All-Polish Youth and Radical-National Camp (ONR), accompanied by all those who do not want Muslims in Poland. Photographs published by Krytyka Polityczna show banners saying, ‘Please support Mr Geert Wilders'. Next to it, an Israeli flag.
The demonstration triggered a debate on how the Polish media report on Islam and Poles' attitude towards it. A commentary by Miłada Jędrysik, published in Gazeta Wyborcza on 25th March 2010, read, "The Polish protest may seem grotesque against this background. In Italy, there are 1 million Muslims and 250 mosques. In the UK, about 1.5 million. … For now, however, mass immigration of Muslims is not something Poland should fear. This makes the position of Europe of the Future all the more unacceptable. The organisation not only strives to restrict the rights of Polish-based Muslims, including those who hold Polish citizenship, but also rolls out xenophobic guns against an enemy so weak that it's a double shame." Miłada Jędrysik is absolutely right. But something still worried Rajkowska. She decided to play with words and here is the result: ‘The Polish protest may seem grotesque against this background. In Italy, there are 1 million Jews and 250 synagogues. In the UK, about 1.5 million. … For now, however, mass immigration of Jews is not something Poland should fear. This makes the position of Europe of the Future all the more unacceptable. The organisation not only strives to restrict the rights of Polish-based Jews, including those who hold Polish citizenship, but also rolls out xenophobic guns against an enemy so weak that it's a double shame.' It is indeed a double shame. The above article notwithstanding, the artist decided to find out whether the language of 1930s anti-Semitic propaganda and the present-day hate speech against Muslims have anything in common.
The You Jew, You Arab! series was created for Krytyka Polityczna # 22