AMSTERDAM (JTA) — A mainstream daily in the Netherlands has apologized for a caricature depicting a Jewish political pollster and entrepreneur as a puppet master.
Pieter Klok, editor in chief of De Volkskrant, issued a statement Monday saying the image and trope “recall too many memories of anti-Semitic caricatures of the Nazi period and therefore should never have been published.”
The caricature, featured on the cover of the left-wing paper’s culture supplement Monday, depicted a leering Maurice de Hond holding a set of marionette strings. The article focused on a media campaign led by de Hond on behalf of a murderer he said was wrongly convicted in 1999.
Critics of the caricature included a previous leader of the Dutch Labor party, Lodewijk Asccher, who has Jewish roots and has been the target of anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Ronny Naftaniel, chairman of the Central Jewish Board of the Netherlands, said the image was reminiscent of Völkischer Beobachter, a German Nazi party daily in the 1930s.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
