News Releases 2024
London, 8 December 2024
Invited by “The Campaign Against Antisemitism", Dr Shimon Samuels joined the rally marching through London, from the Strand to the Houses of Parliament.
Despite the cold and rain, some thirty-two thousand gathered, including British Jews and Gentiles, Zionists, Israelis, as well as members of the Iranian dissident diaspora. The organizers had invited all Members of Parliament, but none attended.
Participants waved Israeli and British flags, as well as Iranian pre-Islamic-republic flags, and carried placards bearing slogans such as “Act Against Hate Before it’s Too Late”, “Zero Tolerance for Antisemites”, “LSE = London School of Extremism” [the LSE was Samuels’ alma mater], or “Shoulder to Shoulder With British Jews”...
Samuels proposed to repeat such marches across Europe.
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For further information, contact csweurope@gmail.com
By Dr. Shimon Samuels
Paris, 28 November 2024
Mr. Secretary,
I write to you in view of the position of the US Embassy in Egypt in relation to last week’s Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) and its president, actor Hussain Fahmy, who opened the proceedings by stating: “Our stance is clear: we will not accept any sponsorship from companies on the Arab boycott list or those supporting the Israeli occupation.”
This is a clear reference to the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) campaign, targeting Israeli and Jewish businesses and institutions. The BDS movement uses the codewords and rhetoric denying Jewish self-determination and the legitimacy of Israel’s existence, thus forbidding constructive dialogue and normalization of relations. As such, BDS is a form of antisemitism. The US Congress voted largely against BDS in 2019.
Samuels with Blinken in 2001, Paris (photo CSW-Europe).
Read more: An Open Letter to Antony Blinken, US Secretary...
Report by Dr Shimon Samuels
Paris, 25 November 2024
The 45th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), considered the “Cannes” of the Arab World, has just ended.
This year, it was opened by the Festival’s President, actor Hussein Fahmy, who, according to the Egyptian lifestyle media Lovin Cairo, focused attention on “the Palestinian cause” by stating: “Our stance is clear: we will not accept any sponsorship from companies on the Arab boycott list or those supporting the Israeli occupation.”
Photo Lovin Cairo
A report by Shimon Samuels
Paris, 7 November 2024
In 1980, I had arrived in Paris to work as Director for Europe of ADL-B’nai B’rith. I witnessed first-hand what would become a series of terror shootings and bombings of Jewish and Israeli targets throughout France and Europe.
At 6:38 p.m. of Friday 3 October 1980, the beginning of Shabbat and the eve of Sukkot, the wave of Palestinian terrorism began with the attack against the Paris Copernic Synagogue.
On the corner of rue Copernic lived the renowned journalist, Tamar Golan. I had come to wish her a good holiday. Just arrived from Israel for the week-end, was Aliza Shagrir, wife of well-known film maker Micha. She asked Tamar if anything was needed for dinner. The hostess replied, “perhaps a few figs. Go down with Shimon and he’ll show you the fruit shop opposite the synagogue.”
A Report by Shimon Samuels and Alex Uberti
Frankfurt, 24 October 2024
Over the past 23 years we have been monitoring several Arab bookfairs across the Mediterranean and in the Middle East, as well as the biggest World book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany (FBM - the Frankfurter BuchMesse), to identify texts and publishers that peddle hate, especially against the Jews. At the FBM, in compliance with German law and following our alerts, those texts that got through would be checked and confiscated by the local Hessen Police.
At this year’s FBM Press Conference, Samuels asked formidable Turkish writer, Elif Shafak, if she had heard of our yearly mission. She was curious to know more while our friend, the Book Fair’s Director Juergen Boos, was nearby and smiling knowingly.