European Parliament reconsiders decision on distribution of Will Eisner’s ‘The Plot’

0 Shares

By Yossi Lempkowicz
Original article
09/Jul/2007 15:55

BRUSSELS (EJP)—The European Parliament has reconsidered its initial refusal to distribute to MEPs a book denouncing the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, an anti-Semitic literary forgery.

Last month, the “College of Quaestors”, the parliament’s body responsible for internal administrative matters, had decided to refuse the demand by the Transatlantic Institute to distribute to all MEPs copies of “The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion” by American Will Eisner.

Written in a comic-book form, “The Plot” aims to shed light on the Protocols and the damage and suffering they have caused throughout history, as well as the negative impact they are having today.

Produced by the Okhrana, the Russian Czar’s secret police, in 1905, the Protocols accuse the Jews of plotting to rule the world.

Emmanuele Ottolenghi, director of the Transatlantic Institute, a Brussels-based think-tank, who had appealed the initial parliament’s decision, received last week a letter from Luxembourg Christian-Democrat MEP Astrid Lulling, a member of the “College of Quaestors”, in which she wrote: “After having reexamined the book and taking into consideration your explanations, I believe that Will Eisner’s book should be allowed to be distributed particularly as I believe that the content is an historical reflection.”

Luxembourg MEP Astrid Lulling: “The European Parliament does not tolerate any racist or anti-Semitic ideas, publications or propaganda material.”

Propaganda material

She stressed that the Parliament receives regularly a lot of unsolicited and unstamped publications which are easily recognisable as “advertisements.”

“Others hide undesired propaganda material. It is a practice of the Quaestors, going back to 2003, that such mail should not, as a matter of principle, be distributed to MEPs.”

“The Plot” does not fit into these categories, Lulling said.

She also wrote in her letter: “May I take this opportunity to assure you that the European Parliament does not tolerate any racist or anti-Semitic ideas, publications or propaganda material.”

“The parliament strongly advocates the respect of fundamental rights and in particular, the dignity of human beings.”