The Tipping Point

Gathering in front of the Jewish Museum of Belgium after the shooting of the day before. Brussels, May 25th 2014.
Gathering in front of the Jewish Museum of Belgium after the shooting of the day before. Brussels, May 25th 2014.

So, this is it. Today, Jews are being shot down in my city’s streets, just like during the darkest hours of our history. Anti-Semitism had never disappeared, but today, the calls for Jewish hatred and the destruction of the State of Israël are less the product of Nazi nostalgia than virulent Islamists. The remarks of the latter, by some twisted moral exception, are tolerated, and even backed up and shared by some representatives elected by Belgian people. That tipping point, it’s here. A consent given to preachers of hate which, slowly but surely, leads to murder. The simple fact that the Belgian king didn’t visit the scene, but just contented himself with saying that he was “indigné”, is significant. In order to condemn such an act so heavy with meaning, so darkly threatening, one should at the very least declare a national day of mourning. Not in favor of the Jewish community, but in the name of the fundamental values that the Belgian people are losing.

Voilà, nous y sommes. Aujourd’hui, on abat des Juifs dans les rues de ma ville, comme lors des heures les plus noires de l’histoire. L’antisémitisme n’a jamais disparu mais, aujourd’hui, les appels à la haine du Juif et à la destruction de l’état d’Israël sont moins le fait de nostalgiques du nazisme que d’islamistes virulents. Les propos de ces derniers, par je ne sais quelle dérogation morale, sont tolérés, voire soutenus ou partagés par des élus du peuple belge. Le point de bascule, il est là. Un consentement donné aux prêcheurs de haine qui, lentement mais sûrement, mène au meurtre. Le simple fait que le roi des Belges ne se déplace pas, mais se contente de se déclarer “indigné”, est significatif. Pour sanctionner un acte aussi lourd de sens, aussi chargé de menace, il faudrait, au minimum, décréter un jour de deuil national. Pas en faveur de la communauté juive, mais au nom des valeurs fondamentales que le peuple belge est en train de perdre.


Subscribe to The Wednesday Shot

Every wednesday, I will be posting a new image.
Suscribe and you’ll receive a photography like this one, each week, in your mailbox, whether you’ve been nice or not.