A Jewish man who faced harassment after his brother’s funeral says, “Instead of mourning, we have to deal with harassment from outside. I am sorry that people are trying to scare us, and am even sadder that many times they succeed.”
Police in Malmo, Sweden, have issued an order to post officers near a Jewish cemetery during funerals following a series of incidents in which Muslim youths gathered in a nearby building and harassed mourners.
Anti-Israel protesters in Malmo, Sweden, in March 2009 [Illustrative]
This week, the brother of deceased Jewish man stayed at the cemetery to guard the body. A group of youths tried to break into the building.
“This is a difficult situation for us,” the man said. “Instead of mourning, we have to deal with harassment from outside. I am sorry that people are trying to scare us, and am even sadder that many times they succeed.”
A spokesperson for the Skane County Police, which has jurisdiction over Malmo, confirmed the incident and said two police officers guarded the cemetery, and that police were present during the funeral itself on Friday.
“The situation is very sensitive, ” the spokesperson said. “We are in constant dialogue with the Jewish community and trying to improve the situation so that members of the community feel safer.”
There have been 137 anti-Semitic incidents reported to Skane police in the past two years, more than all other complaints in Sweden combined.
View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=24165
Israeli New Shekel Exchange Rate