German trade union fights promotion of anti-Semitic member
Worker used Facebook to attack Judaism and Israel.
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALA white power tattoo is seen at a far-right wing summer festival in the German village of Viereck(photo credit: REUTERS)
BERLIN – A German labor federation has taken legal action to block the promotion of an employee who engaged in anti-Semitic activity on his Facebook page.The case against the union member, who crossed out a Star of David and wrote “F*** You Israel”on his Facebook page, is slated to be litigated in the fall, according to the website of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB). The posting remained on his Facebook page for over a year.The 35-year-old union member, who is a Muslim, previously sought to a remove Christian crosses from his co-workers’ work stations because they injured his personal feelings. The local works council, as well as DGB, argued his promotion would disrupt “industrial peace” in the company.The employee works for Hasco, a global supplier tool and mold-making equipment, which is located in the city of Lüdenscheid in North Rhine-Westphalia.According to the works council, the anti-Semitic statements of the employee are not protected free speech because he attacked not only the State of Israel but the Jewish religion.The employer argues that it cannot identify an anti-Semitic view, and adds that the anti-Israel comments were published 18 months ago.The law firm of Dirk Schreiner and Partners, which represents the worker, said the Facebook posting targets Israel and not the Jewish religion and is protected by freedom of speech.The company was not available for a comment on Sunday.DGB took the lead among European trade unions in 2006 by stating its opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.The Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW) pulled the plug on a slated event with a BDS speaker in Hamburg earlier this year.
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