For my generation, the name of Danny the Red, or Daniel Cohn-Bendit, is forever connected to Paris and the glorious revolution of 1968, to Godard's La Chinoise and Antonioni's Zabriski Point, to 'It is forbidden to forbid' graffiti in universities, to long haired hippies, to marijuana and free love, to barricades in Paris and Berkeley and to the sweet wind of freedom that swept across the continents. Like its great predecessor, the Spring of Nations in 1848, the 1968 uprising failed but it transformed Europe and the US. Danny the Red was a mover of the revolution and a great source of inspiration for those of us who sought freedom and equality.

Years passed by and Cohn-Bendit, now a respectable Euro MP from the German Green Party, is visiting Jerusalem. Times have changed and so has he and it isn't just his waistline. He stresses that he is neither Zionist nor anti-Zionist. Jews can live in Europe, too; they do not have to move to Israel. He supports creation of a Palestinian state, he says, and is against the occupation. He feels that Sharon, too, is against the occupation - maybe Sharon wants to have a slightly Greater Israel, but not much greater. The Wall, inhuman as it is, is a proof of Sharon's intention to limit Israeli expansion.

He tells of his meetings with the 'boys' - his new friends, the War party in Washington. Perle and Wolfowitz shared with him their plans for the Middle East, he says. They want to give Iraq to a Hashemite ruler and to push Palestinians into Jordan to create a Palestinian state there. Then, the Jews will get the whole of Palestine. They are Bolsheviks, he says. 'Bolshevik' is a swear word for this new Danny. He has a better, much better plan: give a state to Palestinians, and bring Israel into NATO and the European Union. Make Russia, China, everybody declare their support for the Jewish state, the best and the only democracy in the Middle East. If the Americans go along, he can deliver European support for the American occupation of Iraq, he says. Even his hosts from the liberal Zionist Peace Now shudder uneasily. TOP

Cohn-Bendit feels he can do it. He has many achievements behind him. He promoted the dismemberment of Yugoslavia. He supported NATO's bombing of Serbia into submission. But the Jewish cause occupies much of his time and effort. He is proud that Germany supplied Israel with the nuclear-capable submarines at the expense of the German taxpayer. 'This gift is their payment for Holocaust', says the German Euro MP. Why are a million potential casualties (most probably Arabs) the desired atonement? Isn't he worried that Iran or Syria can become a target of nuclear warheads from these submarines? - I ask him. No, he is not worried. But the homicidal maniacs now ruling the Holy Land consider 'taking the world down with them', in the words of Martin van Creveld of Hebrew University. I push him; his country is also liable to suffer. 'What country?' Danny asks innocently. Born in France, serving in Brussels and Strasbourg, loving Israel, he forgot he was representing Germany. Can't a Jew love his country? Yes, if he knows which country it is. TOP

Still, he does not think Israel is always right. One may, on certain conditions, criticize Israel. These conditions are rather rigorous and hard to meet. March last year, a Syrian immigrant and member of a German state assembly from Cohn-Bendit's party, Jamal Karsli, called on Germany to stop providing Israel with weapons of mass destruction and referred to the 'strong Jewish influence in German media'. Cohn-Bendit and his Parteigenossen practically lynched Karsli for 'anti-Semitism'. Their attack was supported by Michel Friedman, 'the most eloquent Jewish spokesman in Germany' -this was before this regular patron of Belarusian whores was apprehended while pushing cocaine.
Have you no qualms, I ask him, for invoking anti-Semitism like Bush and Ashcroft, Friedman and Foxman? It is a Bolshevik attitude, he says. 'One should be able to express a view even if a similar opinion is expressed by some unpleasant folks'. Bravo, Danny! But why didn't he think that way when he expelled Karsli from the Party for 'repeating the Nazi canard of Jewish control'? Why didn't this brilliant thought stop him - or other Jews - from forever appealing to the Protocols of Zion as to their best defense: if the Protocols say the Jews should take over the media, ipso facto no one is allowed to notice the steady takeover of the European media by Jewish interests. Why can't we apply the same maxim here that 'One should be able to express a view even if a similar opinion is expressed by some unpleasant folks.'

The reason is that, as a rule, Jews are unable to apply Kant's categorical imperative to make a universal rule. It could provide a definition of a Jew: 'a person unable to make an objective moral judgment' because the old religious or ethnic criteria do not apply anymore. His judgment will be forever different whether it is good for Jews or bad for Jews. WMD are bad in Gentile hands but good in Jewish ones. Nationalism of a goy is bad, devotion to the Jewish cause is good. Equal rights for Jew and non-Jew in Europe is good but bad in Palestine. Karsli was bad for Jews, so he had to go. TOP

Expelled by Cohn-Bendit from the Green Party, Karsli joined the FDP of Juergen Moellemann, a brave German politician who objected to the rearmament of Israel and to Jewish control of the German media. In a short while, Juergen Moellemann had a fatal accident: both his parachutes did not open. (Practically in the same time, Anna Lindh, the Swedish Foreign minister and steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause was assassinated in Stockholm.) Karsli's political career was stopped in bud.

It was just the beginning of Cohn-Bendit's campaign against Arab immigrants in Europe. Recently the European Union commissioned a study on anti-Semitism in Europe. A group of Zionist researchers took the job and produced a report that blamed anti-Semitism on Semites - more precisely, on Arabs.

It was an improbable suggestion. The ethnically and religiously diverse East never knew racism. Anyone with even a limited knowledge of Arabs knows they have no racial prejudice against Jews per se. In the past, as David Shasha, a Syrian Jewish researcher wrote, "Jews and other ethnic minorities served within the Islamic polity as recognized members of a cultured society and participated in an intimate way in the evolution and development of that society". In the present, dozens of Jews who support the Palestinian cause live in Arab Palestinian homes from Rafah to Jenin. Be it Norman Finkelstein or Jennifer Loewenstein, they never experienced racial hatred. As for myself, I always felt at home with the Arabs, with Maghrebis in Marseille and Saudis in London or Egyptians in Cairo and Palestinians in my hometown of Jaffa. TOP

In order to show the desired result, the researchers included anti-Israeli activity within their scope and came to conclusion: 'Muslims and pro-Palestinian activists stand behind anti-Semitism in Europe'. Rightly, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) shelved the report for it was "tainted by anti-Muslim bias and the use of inappropriate research methods". Instead of recognizing their errors, the researchers went to complain to the Israeli daily Ha'aratz, that the Europeans dismissed their report due to "excessive political correctness".

When do Jews object to political correctness? Whenever it interferes with their Muslim-bashing. The European antiracist watchdog judged "the focus on Muslim and pro-Palestinian perpetrators to be inflammatory" and liable to cause "civil war in Europe". But a civil war in Europe against millions of Arabs and other Muslims is a Zionist objective, a part and parcel of the US-led War on Islam. Ha'aratz reported:

"Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a leader of the Greens party in the European Parliament Tuesday strongly denounced the EUMC for shelving the report. 'The completely mad thing is that they didn't want to continue because they were afraid to offend a certain Muslim opinion in Europe,' he told Israel Radio. 'This is a completely crazy and wrong approach.' Cohn-Bendit, currently on a visit to Israel, said the decision to shelve the study was a 'big, big, error' and that his party would question the move in the European Parliament at the first opportunity". TOP

Apparently, Cohn-Bendit is not afraid to upset Muslim sensibility or cause civil war. Who cares? Anti-Arab and anti-Muslim propaganda pours out of the Jewish-controlled media in Europe. While Cohn-Bendit spoke to the students at the Hebrew university, on the other side of town, Ariel Sharon offered a photo opportunity to the visiting leader of Italian fascists, Gianfranco Fini. The message was clear: right or left, Green or Fascist, everyone is welcome to enter pro-Zionist coalition against Islam.

In Germany, after the expulsion of Karsli and untimely death of Moellemann, timid pro-Palestinian groups became even more fearful. They are constantly attacked by the mainstream parties, both left and right. The malaise of German national psyche is best expressed by the rise of the crazy pro-Israeli, anti-German 'Left'. Their hero is 'Bomber' Harris, the British mass murderer who razed German cities and killed millions of German civilians during WWII. Their love is given to Jews. My friend, a pro-Palestinian activist Ingrid K. (German friends of Palestine are afraid of media exposure) wrote to me:

"The so-called Anti-Deutsche Antifa (anti-fascists) worship Bomber Harris. They are a disastrous group, their main profession is to act as hyper-Zionists, and attack the leftwing. They managed to divide the small left in Germany with their focus on 'Anti-Semitismus'. (It's like we Germans stop thinking when it comes to anti-Semitism.) The left have come to a sad degree of powerlessness and disorientation. To stand up for Palestinians is a kind of courage test as one risks to be cited as an anti-Semite".

Germany is a much-needed member of Europe. Together with France, Germany could be a major stumbling block for the Zionists and Neo-Cons. European support is necessary to the Palestinians and the Iraqis. But this great country, home to Hegel and Marx, Beethoven and Goethe, is sick, if it is represented by the likes of Cohn-Bendit, a man who promotes strife between the native Germans and its Muslim community, supplies Israel with WMD to blackmail Germany in future, befriends the American and Israeli enemies of the international law and who silences the pro-Palestinian voices in Germany through libelous charges of anti-Semitism - in short, a man who preferred the Jewish cause to the cause he upheld once, the cause of freedom and equality.

Responses

From Dan, the US

In Danny the Blue and White, you write:
"The revolution of 1968 failed, but it transformed Europe and the United States. Danny the Red was a mover of the revolution, and a great source of inspiration for us, who sought freedom and equality."

1968 was a transforming event: the watershed of the circulation of elites that is the foundation of the West today. It was a great success in every respect; it destroyed academic curricula, the authority of churches, the legitimacy of states and their histories and family relationships. It created new markets and new sources of wealth, power, and authority. In terms of short range goals 1968 defeated Lyndon Johnson (by default) and through Danny's zealous determination, Charles DeGaulle. Remember the screaming and the rage? The all purpose epithets of "Fascist!" and "Nazi!" that provided dependable conclusions to debates? And remember the "Authoritarian Personality" and its corollary about sexual frustration leading to violence and militarism?

While 1968 was an astounding success for its catalysts and authors like Cohn-Bendit and Todd Gitlin. The only failure was that of the auxiliaries or dupes such as myself. Our narcotic political and cultural fantasies provided us a way of avoiding reality and we were disappointed that there was a discrepancy between the media hype and the morning after what Tom Wolfe calls "that lurid carnival."

In his memoirs Gore Vidal recalls a conversation he had with Allen Ginsburg about Jack Kerouac: "You know around 1968 when we were all protesting the Vietnam War, Jack wrote to me that the war was just an excuse for 'you Jews to be spiteful again.' I sometimes think maybe he was right." I see Danny as a faithful adherent to the goals if not the articulated ideals of 1968 and his astounding self-confidence and shameless triumphalism has been thoroughly warranted in terms of his success. Of course he is not a Kantian; he is a "flexible strategizer" You can't get Kantian if you want to get laid as Michel Houellebeq so vividly shows in his great novel of 1968 and its disastrous aftermath, Elementary Particles.

As I dimly perceive Danny through the broken clouded lenses of my vestigial standards of pre-1968 rationality, it is easy enough to "expose the contradictions" with respect to Danny but why would I wish to do so if the consequences are so dire and if Danny will only laugh at me and sneer contemptuously and call me a "schmuck"? In 1968 we had Danny's permission to "expose the contradictions"; we do not have his permission to do so today.
Dan 

Shamir to Dan:
I am aware of this point of view. It is possible to see 1968 as the movement used and utilized for advancement of the Jewish cause. Indeed, in France it came after de Gaulle declared embargo on weapons to Israel; in the US it was the break point for the hold of the old elites and the beginning of the Rise of Jews. To a great extent, we can say the same about Russia in 1917. But, while I agree that 'the Jews' had their own agenda, and eventually betrayed the revolution of 1968, their agenda was defeated in Russia in 1936; and it could be defeated in 1970 in Europe. In short, the revolution was right and good, and even Danny the Red was OK when on service of the revolution.  

People with live link to 'the Jews' should not be on the top of any revolutionary movement that does not want to be betrayed - it is a possible conclusion. The conclusion that I want to avoid (for I disagree with it) is that the old elites were fine before 1968 and the revolution was unnecessary and erroneous. It went wrong, yes, but the idea was (is) good. The revolutionaries used the Jews (including bankers and newspaper owners), while the Jews used the revolutionaries. We were not careful enough and let them to carry out their policy. The revolution '68 had its Trotskyism a-plenty, but it had no Stalin.

Dear Shamir,
I applaud your sharp report on Cohn-Bendit. I have myself experienced in Germany the fear of saying anything critical of Israel, let alone of Jews. The self-censure exercised by Germans and the internalization of fear of being singled out as anti-Semite will one day burst out and I do not relish that day. I keep telling my German friends that they should use only one yardstick to judge conduct, a universal standard, not one for Jews and one for others.  TOP

I also agree that Muslims are not generally racist, let alone anti-Jews. I have always felt more at ease with Arabs than with Jewish Zionists. There is lots of racism among Jews. However, it is true that Israeli and Zionist policies have caused a surge of anti-Semitism
in Muslim countries that is racist in nature: I am talking about myths about the eternal nature of Jews, of their inherent wickedness, etc. It serve no good purpose to close one's eyes to such pathological developments among Arabs. Here again, let us stick with one yardstick of opposing all forms of racism and prejudice, regardless towards whom it is leveled.
Kindly,
Elias

From Michael McGee
Hello,
I read your interesting article on Daniel Cohn-Bendit's visit to Israel and thought you made some very good points concerning Zionist attacks against those who support fair and equal treatment for all of the Semitic peoples in the Middle East. I have also seen several articles which attack you as being an "hysterical anti-Semite", but I would like to make my own opinion after listening to your arguments. My experience has shown that Zionists and neo-cons often attack those who support justice for the Palestinian people as being "anti-Semites".  TOP

I am a member of the Green Party in the state of Washington and, my wife being Alsatian, I have a long experience lobbying on Human Rights in the European Institutions, including the European Parliament. I am also well aware that European Greens, as well as many other parties, are struggling between pro-Zionist influences and truly anti-colonialist positions. For the moment, the Zionist sympathizers within the European Parliament that propose, like Cohn-Bendit or Olivier Dupuis, to bring Israel into the European Union, are still a small minority. A majority of the deputies in the European Parliament supported a resolution on 10 April 2002 to suspend commercial and economic ties in the European Union - Israel Association Agreement and to place an embargo on all arms sales to Israel and Palestine.
(Please see annexes 1 + 2)

Compared with the situation 10 years ago, I believe that the pro-Zionist propagandists are more and more on the defensive in Europe and are attacking " hysterically"" even very moderate political or cultural figures who dare let the Palestinian people express their views. The Zionist attacks against the popular French radio host, Daniel Mermet, (who is himself Jewish) and the world famous farm union leader from the "Confederation Paysanne", José Bové, are good examples of these desperate last ditch efforts of Zionists to prevent the world from seeing and reacting to Israeli colonial crimes against humanity.
This is why it is extremely important to keep up the diplomatic pressure against Israeli apartheid within the European Institutions and European political parties. A positive outcome, as in the case of apartheid in South Africa, depends on our perseverance and political intelligence.

Parliamentary delegations, religious groups and civil resistance movements, such as the International Solidarity Movement, which go to investigate the situation in Palestine have also played a major role in countering Israeli propaganda here in Europe. In the hope that you are a true supporter of the Semitic peoples of the Middle East, I look forward to hearing your positions on the Palestinian struggle and the urgent need for Jews of all races to condemn Israeli apartheid. TOP

Sincerely yours,
Michaël McGEE

Annex 1
European Parliament resolution on the Middle East
10 April 2002 P5_TA(2002)0173
Situation in the Middle East
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its recommendation to the Council of 13 December 2001 on the crisis in the Middle East and the role of the European Union in the region(1), its resolution of 7 February 2002 on the Middle East(2) and its resolution of 20 March 2002 on the outcome of the European Council of 15-16 March 2002 in Barcelona(3), A. profoundly shocked by the escalating human tragedy experienced by the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, 7. Calls on the Council to institute an arms embargo on Israel and Palestine;

Annex 2
Debates of the European Parliament
SITTING OF THURSDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2003
Application of EC-Israel Association Agreement
Alima Boumediene-Thiery (Greens/European Free Alliance). - (FR) Mr Nielson, let me take this opportunity to remind you that on 10 April our Parliament voted on a Resolution to freeze the Association Agreement. Now, eighteen months later, this Resolution is still being ignored. Could we see this as unwavering support for the Israeli state's policy despite its violations of  human rights and international law?

We could, for we are talking about economic, commercial agreements, about financial interests, but we also about the right to life. This colonial war claims more and more victims. Even though the roadmap made provision to colonization to be put on ice, the Jewish colonies continue to grow and roads around them are still being built. In Israel the situation is tragic.

To conclude, Mr President, I will say that we cannot remain silent. Is it not our duty to put pressure on the Israeli Government, with all the means that we have at our disposal including economic and commercial ones? Why not paralyze the Association Agreement as we courageously did before in South Africa against the apartheid?
 

From Alain Coutte
Thanks for this one Shamir... same as usual and great! Danny the red, Danny the blue-and-white or Danny the green? Well, to me he changed so often his mind, probably each time he changes his shirt, that he has gone through all the colors of this beautiful rainbow we used to have in Africa.

As you are aware, to be a politician you need to :
- be a whore capable of killing your parents and children,
- have such an ego that requests you to always carry a mirror with you,
- always be on top of the events with something to say about anything, as
long as the medias talk about you and people can see or listen to you.

We, French, are laughing at Danny's appearances, I often switch to Mozart or Beethoven classic music instead to hear him, because otherwise I get so bored I start sleeping on my sofa with my sweet little girl in my arms. We all know he is an "has been", capitalizing on 1968 when at that time he had the guts to lead these students in the streets of Paris because he had nothing to loose and such a big mouth.

One of my customer came to the company this week and told me :
- "What about if God shows his face and tell us all it was a big "joke" he made on us?"
I answered him :
- "Well, then Richard Perle, Wolfowitz and all neocons would be out of their jobs immediately and Israel wouldn't exist anymore!"

So, re-thinking about this one, I told myself, there might exist a 3rd way for peace achievement by declaring that God had never existed except in the imagination, and that all religions where purely invented from these nice stories we tell our children. Then, would only remains humans on earth, with only one father, and like my favorite singer John Lennon used to say :
"Imagine..."
Happy thanksgiving holidays to the one having some.
Best regards
Alain COUTTE