Local Jewish groups and the Israeli embassy have expressed outrage over the election campaign of the leftist Independent Greens party in Denmark, which has been putting "free Copenhagen from Zionism" posters around the city and calling for the end to Israel.
The party is, in fact, running on the slogan "Climate action, Anti-racism, Anti-Zionism, Solidarity," and the posters form part of its new anti-Israel campaign.
The posters led to the Danish Zionist Association filing a police report against the Independent Greens for "violation of the rules of the penal code on racism and threats against other people."
The chairman of the Danish Zionist Association, Max Meyer, said "They have made it unsafe for all Danish Jews, but also other Danes who support the state of Israel. People are worried about whether they can continue to be in Denmark."
The Embassy of Israel said it was "appalled by the despicable local elections campaign" adding that these dangerous messages "promote hate and incitement at a time when Jewish communities are struggling with rising antisemitism and finding it increasingly difficult to lead a Jewish life."
Left-wing Danish party reveals antisemitic slogan
"The campaign targets a specific group of people — and that group only — and is a clear example of antisemitism, based on the internationally recognized IHRA definition of antisemitism."
The chairperson of the Jewish Community in Denmark, Ina Rosen, said that while normally the community welcomes the diversity of election posters in the cityscape, "it is highly unpleasant and a new low that a Danish party wants to 'liberate' Copenhagen of a certain population group."
"When the Independent Greens want to "liberate Copenhagen from Zionism," it is impossible to see it as anything other than a thinly veiled attempt to exchange rising antisemitism for votes in the municipal elections."
"Zionism is about Jews being a people like any other with the right to self-determination. Zionism comes in various forms. If you had wanted to attack Israel's politics, you could of course have written it – even if it has nothing to do with the municipal elections. Just as one could have written "free Copenhagen from racism and xenophobia" if that was the mission. Obviously, it wasn't. It was the opposite."
"A staggering majority of Danish Jews are Zionists, believing that Israel has the right to exist in peace alongside its neighbors. The fact that they choose to use this exact word is an attempt to fuel antisemitism."
According to the Social Democrats' immigration and integration spokesman, Frederik Vad, the poster signifies "an invisible threat to Jewish citizens in Denmark" because it uses the word "liberate".
"When we look at the terminology used by resistance movements around the world, it is often something about a certain geographical area being liberated from some power. We wanted to liberate Denmark from the Nazis. Palestine must be liberated. It is a political rhetoric, but it is also a rhetoric of resistance struggle," he said.
Vad continued by adding it is perfectly okay to criticise Israel or Zionism, but "not in the way that the Independent Greens do."
"They are adopting Hamas's terminology. In its 2017 charter, Hamas writes: "We have nothing against Jews. We just don't like Zionists. It is Zionism that we are fighting." It is a classic antisemitic trait to say that we have nothing against Jews, but they are political movements where there are a lot of Jews we have something against."
However, the party itself disputes all claims of antisemitism.
"When we say free Copenhagen from Zionism, it is not about citizens or religion. It is about freeing Copenhagen from a political ideology based on ethnic domination, apartheid and oppression. Zionism has both historical and current significance for how the state of Israel exercises power over the Palestinians," Rajesh Holmen, a candidate for the party for the City Council in Copenhagen, told P1 Morgen.
"This is about ensuring that the City of Copenhagen is not influenced by Zionist interests and drops any connection to the Zionist state of Israel."
Holmen said that anyone accusing his party of antisemitism "cannot distinguish between legitimate criticism of the state of Israel and antisemitism."
His party then posted on Instagram: "We must protect Danish Jews by not mixing them up with Israel's crimes."
On Thursday, the party wrote that it is "proud to not belong to the elite. For the elite, they destroy the climate, support Israel and grab all the community's money for themselves."
Discussions of "the elite" are often seen as an antisemitic dog whistle.