‘We are not serving Jews,’ an American Jewish tourist was told at Belgian café

European Jewish Press ^ | 12 feb 08 | Staff

[white trash redneck]

ANTWERP (EJP)---The Mayor of the Belgian city of Bruges has asked for an inquiry after an American Jewish tourist was ousted from a café-restaurant because he was wearing a kippa or skullcap.

On a visit to Bruges two weeks ago, Marcel Kalmann, a 64-year-old US professor, entered Le Panier d’Or, a renowned café-restaurant located on the main city square, to have a coffee.

When the waiter saw his kippa under his hat, he told him to get out. “We are not serving Jews, out of here,” he allegedly shouted.

In shock, the man went to another café nearby where the owners helped him to call police. An operator told him that police patrols do not go out for such cases and advised him to call on a police station.

According to the account given by Kalmann to “Joods Actueel”, a Jewish magazine in Antwerp, at the police station a policeman first made clear that he didn't believe his story.

Later, an  officer  indicated that a complaint can only be stated in Flemish and not in English, adding erroneously that anti-Semitic offense doesn't exist in Belgian law.

An angry Kalmann told the magazine that he is planning to lodge a complaint against the owner of the café-restaurant and against the police.

Contacted by ‘Joods Actueel’, the owner of Le Panier d’Or acknowledged that Kalmann was kicked out. He said he was ready to apology but added that the client had a “strange behaviour.” The restaurants in the area spoke rather of a quarrel about "outrageous prices."

Patrick Monaert, Mayor of Bruges, has asked police for an inquiry and apologized to Kalmann for the "inadequate behaviours" which, he said, “are contrary to the welcoming image the city intends to give.”

The Jewish community in Antwerp was all the more outraged and moved by this anti-Semitic incident that Kalmann was born in Auschwitz three days before the liberation of the Nazi camp by the Russian army.  

Around 40,000 Jews live in Belgium, mainly in the capital Brussels and Antwerp.

[white trash redneck]

So even if we want to believe the owner of Le Panier, Mr. Kalman bitched about the prices, and so the owner told him to get out, since they didn't serve Jews. That doesn't pass the smell test.

Europe -- a theme park for genocide and antisemitism.

Sorry if this has been posted but the search function wasn't working.

[JRios1968]

My city of Bruges? That's so evil...bwahahaha

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Probably NOT a publicity stunt for the movie, “In Bruges”.

[CondorFlight]

I guess we liberated Belgium and fought that Battle of the Bulge for nothing, since nazism is still alive there.

And since the US keeps NATO headquarters nearby, and spends $$$$$$ billions there, I would imagine the US State Dept. might have had something to say about this, if it cared (which it doesn’t).

OTOH, if someone had refused an American of Arab descent, I’m sure Condi would get right on it. . .

[white trash redneck]

FYI

[GreyFriar]

I wonder if the waiter was wearing his Nazi party membership pin?

[wideawake]

Amazing.

(1) Anti-Semitic proprietor kicks Kalmann out of the restaurant for having the audacity to be a Jew.

(2) Kalmann calls police and the police dispatch says that they will not send an officer out.

(3) Kalmann goes to a police station where the officer says he does not believe him - in other words, the officer assumes that an American tourist has taken time out of his day to track down a Belgian police officer just to file a false report.

(4) Officer then tells him that he cannot be assisted by the police unless he speaks Flemish.

(5) Officer then tells him that there is no such thing as a civil rights offense in Belgian law. So the officer lied to Kalmann twice while accusing Kalmann of lying.

(6) The anti-Semitic restauranteur then justifies his behavior by claiming that Kalmann was acting strangely and/or disputing the bill - as if this justifies ethnic abuse.

All this in a politically correct European city where Orthodox Jews alone make up 5% or more of the population.

[Admin Moderator]

Sorry if this has been posted but the search function wasn't working.

The Search Feature has been working properly for months. Let me know if you need to learn how to use it.

[beaversmom]

Mr. Kalman bitched about the prices

Funny that the owner uses a Jewish stereotype to defend himself.

[Paige]

Exactly who was this waiter? A Muslim? A young European indoctrinated to hate? AntiSemitism has become wide spread across Europe and is growing in America once again.

Amazing how stuff like this comes to light, we were showing 11th and 12th graders documented film on the atrocities of the Nazi Concentration Camps last week.

With the hatred of Christians growing in America, Christians could be side by side with the Jewish People if this insanity is not stopped now. Moreover, they now call this the "New Antisemitism"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_antisemitism

[Islander7]

“...the owner of Le Panier d’Or acknowledged that Kalmann was kicked out. He said he was ready to apology but added that the client had a “strange behaviour.” The restaurants in the area spoke rather of a quarrel about “outrageous prices”...”

This is probably the what started the while thing.

[BibChr]

My response: “Well, thank God for that! Do you serve beef?”

Ba-dum bum.

[My Favorite Headache]

Yep..you about summed it up!

[Rob112586]

Maybe he was still angry with the jews for 9/11.... </s>

It seems like “Borat” is becoming more and more like a documentary than a comedy.

[Y2000]

I wonder if the waiter was wearing his Nazi party membership pin?

probably the waiter is muslim immigrated to this welfare state.

[Understated]

A strange behavior. He was Jewish.

[Kevmo]

Strike Belgium off my list of countries to visit when I’m in Europe.

[Savage Beast]

The more Europeans struggle not to relive the horrors of the past, the more inexorably they damn themselves to reliving those very horrors.

Hubris and denial are the stuff of tragedy.

[onedoug]

Canary in the coal mine.

[TexasRepublic]

Strike Belgium off my list of countries to visit when I’m in Europe.

I doubt Belgium is more anti-Semitic than any place else. The Europeans face an Islamic takeover, so why do any of them worry about a few Jews? Now, that's ironic.