Norwegian bank issues anti-Semitic credit card, apologizes
Customer-requested image on Visa card issued by DNB shows large-nosed Jew smiling at gold coins
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A major Norwegian bank that issued a credit card decorated with an anti-Semitic caricature has apologized and canceled the card.
The Israeli advocacy group Hallelu published on Facebook Monday a photo of the credit card, issued by DNB to one Alexander Joseph Beckett, showing an ugly, large-nosed Jew wearing a black coat and prayer shawl and smiling at a background of gold coins.
DNB, which bills itself as “Norway’s largest financial services group,” said it was “very sorry” and had not chosen the image itself.
“We have been notified about a picture of a Visa card issued by us, with a picture of a (sic) anti-Semitic drawing of a jew (sic). We looked at the case immediately, and found out that this was produced due to a system we have where clients can upload their own pictures and get them printed on their card,” explained Even Westerveld, the bank’s executive vice president for communications, in a letter to Hallelu made public by the organization.
Westerveld acknowledged the bank failed to spot the problematic imagery when the customer uploaded it.
“We have, however, strict guidelines for what kind of pictures that (sic) are allowed, and this control is manual. Unfortunately, our manual control have (sic) failed in this particular case, and we are deeply sorry for that. This card should never have been printed.”
He promised the bank would “contact the client, block the card and issue a new neutral card to the customer,” adding, “Please note that this is not a mass produced card, and the picture has been deleted from our system.”
The Times of Israel Community.