Dutch broadcaster denies ‘Toy’ parody was anti-Semitic

The Dutch broadcaster BNNVARA denies that the satire of Israel’s Eurovision-winning song “Toy” set against a backdrop of scenes from the Gaza border last week was not meant to be anti-Semitic.

“In Sanne Wallis the Show, events of the past week are discussed in a satirical manner, and last week the winning song festival song of Israel coincidentally coincided with the flaring conflict in the Gaza Strip.The parody questions Israel’s policy and is emphatically not an indictment against the Jewish community,” the broadcaster says.

The parody was harshly criticized by Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands Aviv Shir-On, who said earlier today that it crossed the line from “intense” criticism to anti-Semitic themes, including “mocking kosher food or referring to money in the old anti-Jewish way.”