A prominent Beligian author’s antisemitic op-ed has sparked outrage across Europe’s Jewish community

In a piece published this week by Belgium’s Humo magazine, author Herman Brusselmans described his reaction to an image of an Arab boy trapped under rubble in Gaza, writing that he wanted to “ram a pointed knife straight down the throat of every Jew  he meets.

“You always have to think, of course: not every Jew is a murderous bastard, and to give shape to that thought, I imagine an elderly Jewish man shuffling down my own street, dressed in a washed-out shirt, fake cotton pants, and old sandals, and I feel sorry for him and almost get tears in my eyes, but a moment later I wish him to hell,” he wrote.

Regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Brusselmans described him as a “short, fat, bald Jew” who “for whatever reason wants to ensure that the entire Arab world is wiped out.”

In response, the European Jewish Association (EJA) has filed a lawsuit against Brusselmans and Humo magazine, accusing them of incitement to murder and condemning the piece as psychopathic hate speech.

“The EJA is not only demanding a full public apology from Humo but also the immediate suspension of the writer. This shocking publication reveals a serious lapse in editorial judgment, and the EJA is determined to hold those responsible accountable,” EJA said on X.

The Belgian magazine has since removed the antisemitic column despite earlier defending Brusselmans’ rhetoric as being protected under free speech.