Code Pink
Israeli envoy slams German city for granting award to anti-Israel organization
Beyreuth City Council decides to grant tolerance and humanity prize to Code Pink, an organization supporting BDS and cooperating with Holocaust deniers.
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Yakov Hadas-Handelsman has blasted the Beyreuth City Council for granting a tolerance and humanity prize to the American organization Code Pink, which supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement and cooperates with Holocaust deniers.
"I am shocked that in Germany, of all places, a prize is going to be granted in the name of tolerance and humanity to Code Pink," Ambassador Hadas-Handelsman said in a press release.
"It appears that the definition of tolerance and humanity in Beyreuth is cooperating with Holocaust deniers in Iran and boycotting Jews, and denying Israel's right to exist," he added.
Code Pink activists (Photo: Shutterstock)
Despite international protest and criticism, a majority of the Beyreuth City Council approved the decision to grant the Tolerance and Humanity Prize, worth 10,000 Euros, to Code Pink on April 15.
Two years ago, Code Pink representatives took part in a conference in Tehran sponsored by the Iranian government that dealt with different conspiracy theories such as the Jewish plan for world domination. The anti-Israel organization also fervently supports the BDS movement, has met with Hamas officials, and harshly criticizes Israel's security policies.
Deidre Berger, the director of the Berlin office of the American Jewish Council, and other local leaders tried to stop the council from giving the prize to Code Pink. "Code Pink has long supported the BDS movement, which has aggressively worked against Israel," she said.
"Especially in light of the anti-Semitic history of Beyreuth, the Beyreuth City Council are expected to deal with people demanding a boycott of the Jewish state with more sensitivity. We expect the government of the Bavarian province to distance itself from the decision," she added.
The Mayor of Beyreuth, Brigitte Merk-Erbe, has taken action against the decision, but her efforts were unsuccessful. "Because of historical responsibility and out of respect to Holocaust victims, we must prevent the prize from being granted to this organization," she said.
