Blurring the Line Between Free Speech and Hate Speech
A news outlet in Belgium excused antisemitism at a yearly carnival parade on the grounds that it was something historically and culturally Belgian. Instead of examining the issue, the author downplayed the antisemitic elements.
Online platform Doorbraak published a piece about Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, titled “The Hate Speech of Ursula”. The article was in response to her yearly State of the Union address to the European Commision, in which she referred to tackling racism and hate speech, amongst other topics. Doorbraak writer Johan Sanctorum commented as follows: “‘Racism’ is the keyword: any criticism of the open borders policy, the multicultural ideology and certainly Islam can be placed under the heading ‘racism’”.
In her State of the Union address, von der Leyen also referred to the antisemitic Aalst Carnival, stating: “We ask where is the essence of humanity when antisemitic carnival costumes openly parade on our streets?”. The carnival she is referring to is held yearly in the city of Aalst. In 2019, the event drew a large number of complaints from Jewish organisations and public institutions due to the antisemitic stereotypical dresses and costumes exposed during the parade. At the time, the discussion in 2019 reached the United Nations, with UNESCO officially removing Aalst Carnival from the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage list.
This year's Carnival parade featured even more blatant antisemitism, with the participants not changing but instead only increasing the presence and severity of "Jewish-themed" costumes. There were paraders dressed as Orthodox Jews but represented as insects; Orthodox Jews with fake big hooked noses; Orthodox Jews with gold bars and Diamonds; Orthodox Jews with Red arm-bands labelled UNESCO (parallel to Nazi red arm-bands); paraders dressed as SS - corps of Nazi Party - enjoying a drink. The "Jewish-themed" costumes clearly portrayed stereotypes used in Nazi propaganda in the 1930s, carrying with them not only an extremely painful history but a very dangerous narrative. Additionally, the parade included several participants dressed in costumes featuring racist tropes and donning blackface.
Doorbraak author Sanctorum feels that von der Leyen’s reference to the Aalst Carnival was uncalled for, because he believes that the event is the epitome of diversity. He claims that by condemning instances like the Aalst Carnival, von der Leyen is herself undertaking a form of hate speech that depicts the Aalst carnival-goers as "inferior human species that do not belong in the civilized world". Sanctorum feels that through statements like von der Leyen’s, Flemish people are not allowed to express their identity. The article portrays the Aalst Carnival, with its antisemitic elements, as a necessary means for Flemish people to express their identity. By making this claim, he completely disregards its very real antisemitic elements.
Aalst Carnival originated in the Middle Ages, and thus has a deep history in Belgium. It is important to note that no one is asking for the Carnival to be cancelled. The focus is on the clearly antisemitic elements of the event, which normalise hate and are degrading towards Belgium’s Jewish community. Just because something is a tradition and has been done a certain way for many years, does not mean that it should never be changed. As a society, we learn from past mistakes and adapt accordingly. The issue here is not curbing free speech or freedom of expression – it is ensuring that everyone is able to celebrate Carnival without being the victim of hate speech.
