24 February 2020 

The Wiesenthal Centre has monitored the Belgian town of Aalst for its outrageous antisemitic carnival floats.

The Centre’s Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, in 2013 protested the Nazi theme – whipping of concentration camp prisoners carrying canisters marked “Zyklon B,” the gas that killed millions of Jews.

“Again, last year we expressed outrage at the float showing religious Jews among gold coins and rats”… “taking the issue of Aalst’s UNESCO status to a Cultural Heritage Bureau meeting in June, with a proposal to delist a Carnival of hate,” stated Samuels.

He continued, “the ribbons and stickers issued in September showing Chassidic Jews trampling the UNESCO logo, was an indication that Aalst’s anti-Jewish campaign was to continue, despite the Carnival’s delisting by UNESCO in December”... “This was borne out today.”

The Centre described a float with stereotyped orthodox Jews in a vehicle marked as the “Wailing Wall.” A parchment banner portrayed an old fat Jew shaped like an onion – the regional symbol of Aalst.

Entitled “INIEF or Carnival Committee Regulations,” listed as:

Rules for the Jewish Carnival Committee:
1. No mocking of Jews;
2. No speaking the truth about Jews;
3. What the Jews want will happen;
4. All drugs and black money are ours;
5. For more, ask us next year. Shalom.

Samuels noted, “despite the delisting, almost a dozen floats were marked ostentatiously ‘UNESCO’... This seems to acknowledge the fear of losing tourist groupies visiting UNESCO heritage sites.”

“Our international membership of over 400.000 – both Jewish and Gentile – would certainly understand that Aalst is not a place to visit,” concluded the Centre.