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WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation
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how young he was. I told him: "This is what I plan to
do tomorrow."
He answered: "I have been in Czechoslovakia only a short
while, but I can assure you there is no anti-Semitism in Prague."
Nevertheless, I gave him the time and place of my protest – by
then I had settled on the Prague School of Philosophy, in which most of the
defendants in the trial were enrolled. He promised that he would cover it, even
though he was not in sympathy.
This was not very encouraging, so I also
went to see a German reporter who worked for a Cologne broadcasting station.
His wife was alone, for he had gone to cover the Communist Youth Congress in
Bratislava. She notified a West German cameraman, and we spent the rest of the
evening together in a restaurant, where I could speak freely at last, for the
woman was obsessed by a fear that her apartment was bugged. When I got back to
my hotel about 1 A.M., I sent Serge the telegram and then spent an almost
sleepless night.
On Monday I went out about 10 A.M. and walked the
streets of Prague for two hours. As in Warsaw, I was sorry not to be able to
see this handsome city more thoroughly. By 11:30 I was freezing, so I took
refuge in a very busy restaurant to get warm. It was full of young people
merrily chatting away, but I felt tense.
At noon I went to the School
of Philosophy, which was on a large square, and got out my pamphlets. On one
cover was printed in large type: "Fight Re Stalinization! Fight Repression!
Fight Anti-Semitism!" in Czech, and on the reverse the same in both Czech and
French. The text was:
Citizens of Czechoslovakia!
This is
no Jewess speaking to you, but a German anti-fascist who, in the name of all
liberal organizations, led young Germans in a campaign against Kiesinger and
was sentenced to a year in prison for having slapped him.
Now in
Prague, as in Warsaw on August 26, 1970, I appeal to the citizens of a country
in the Eastern bloc to oppose the wave of anti-Semitism that believers in a
return to Stalinism are stirring up in socialist countries.
Under the
influence of those pro-Stalinists, Czech propaganda has continuously stated
that the 1968 crisis was due to the shameful and anti national activities of
"Zionists." Such propaganda always stresses the Jewish origin of liberal
leaders because it wants you to be persuaded that there is no difference
between a Jew and a Zionist agitator.
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WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
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Page 132 |
Forward |
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