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Lukashenko Accused of Antisemitism Following Controversial Remarks
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by i24 News and Algemeiner Staff
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko holds a news conference in Minsk, Belarus August 9, 2021. Pavel Orlovsky/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a formal protest against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, following his controversial remarks suggesting that Jews “steal without thinking.”
During a recent meeting on corruption, Lukashenko stated, “There is a list of 30 suspects here. Forgive me, I’m not antisemitic, but more than half of the accused are Jewish.”
He further commented, “What’s going on here? Have they [the Jews] assumed a special privileged status? Stealing and not thinking about their future? In Belarus, everyone is equal before the law. Jews, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Russians, and also Poles. Everyone.”
The remarks prompted a swift response from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yuval Fuchs, Deputy Director of Eurasia and the Western Balkans at the ministry, summoned the Belarusian Ambassador to express Israel’s disapproval. Fuchs stated that “the statement made by the President of Belarus is unacceptable, outrageous, and sounds like a definite antisemitic comment.”
This is not the first time Lukashenko has made controversial comments about Jews.
Last December, he praised Armenia by claiming its people are intelligent because there are no Jews among them.
“If Armenia wants to die economically, we might lose it. But I don’t think that the Armenians are stupid people. Armenians are smart people. After all, there isn’t even a single Jew there. Do you know why? Because Armenians are the smartest people,” Lukashenko said.
Contrary to his claims, Armenia does have a Jewish community, numbering around 400 members, and generally enjoys positive relations with the authorities.
