NUREMBERG – (VIDEO) Some 1,500 Jews from all over Germany protested against the Iranian regime just a few hours before the country’s national soccer team took the field for its World Cup soccer match against Mexico.
The demonstrators gathered at Nuremberg’s St. Jacob’s Square, where Adolph Hitler held a number of Nazi rallies in his time, and protested against recent comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who doubted
the Holocaust’s existence and called for Israel to be “wiped off the map.”
'We are not against the Iranian people.' Nuremberg rally (Photo: AP)
In addition, the participants protested Germany’s decision to grant an entry permit to Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Aliabadi.
“Aliabadi has not renounced the president’s remarks,” Sasha Stawasky, a member of a Jewish-German organization said. "He apparently has the same opinions. We will demonstrate against him until he denounces the Iranian regime."
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In addition to the German Jewish community, many senior German politicians and familiar public figures participated in the demonstration. Buses shuttled demonstrators from Berlin and Munich to Nuremberg. Among the people invited was the Bavarian Internal Minister, Dr. Guenther Beckstein, who is known for his right-wing views.
"We are not against the Iranian people, we are only against their president, who is a criminal," said Dr. Beckstein during the demonstration. "If he didn't hold a diplomatic passport he would have been arrested upon his arrival in Germany. The Iranian people are our friends, but people like Ahmadinejad, who denied the Holocaust and calls and incites for murder – is a criminal."
The Left was represented by Claudia Roth, the leader of the green party. Michel Friedman, a known German Jewish television figure also attended the rally.
Friedman has threatened in the past to file an appeal to prevent the Iranian president from entering Germany, citing his recent statements as the reason. Nuremberg’s mayor and some city council members also attended the rally.
Iranian exiles against Iran
Iranian exiles who oppose the regime also joined the rally. They voiced harsh statements against Ahmadinejad and called him “dangerous terrorist".
Thousands of Iranian arrived in Nuremberg to watch their national team play in the World Cup.
Neo Nazi organizations also planned on demonstrating during the game to show solidarity with Ahamdinejad and his views, but police and the courts prohibited such rallies and warned the protesters not to hold unlicensed demonstrations.
A few rallies of the extreme right-wing party, the NPD, were called off after it was decided not to approve them for fear they would taint Germany's image during the games. In a raid on the NPD party offices, police confiscated thousands of racist brochures and leaflets, which were specially made for the World Cup, calling black-skinned soccer players in German uniforms "foreign infiltrators."
News Agencies contributed to this report
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