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Last update - 20:14 08/07/2009
Report: Formula One Chief accuses Jews of complicity in financial crisis
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Bernie Ecclestone 

When Formula One mogul Bernie Eccleston was forced to apologize for making remarks about Hitler's ability to "get things done," the 78-year-old billionaire proceeded to accuse the Jews of contributing to the world's banking crisis, British daily the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

Last weekend, in an interview with London's The Times, Ecclestone made several remarks that sparked a bitter row.

When Ecclestone was informed that the Hitler remark, coupled with other outbursts, had prompted the World Jewish Congress to call for his resignation as the head of Formula One, he replied "it's a pity they didn't sort the banks out."
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sked to clarify, he added "they have a lot of influence everywhere."


This comment only served to fan the already existing flames, raising suggestions of a boycott of Formula One by German-owned racing teams, including BMW and Mercedes, the Daily Mail reported.

A spokesman for Germany's Central Council of Jews said "No team should work with him any more - a boycott would be more than appropriate."

Earlier Wednesday, the British newspaper the Jewish Chronicle reported that Ecclestone had canceled his trip to Germany, the site of a major grand prix racing event.

"Those who don't know me think I support Hitler's atrocities; those who do know me have told me how unwise I was to articulate my points so badly that it should have been so widely misunderstood," Bernie Ecclestone told British media on Tuesday.

"I'm just sorry I was an idiot. I sincerely, genuinely apologize," he said.

The World Jewish Congress had called on Ecclestone to resign or announce his own suspension after the Formula One chief's praise of Hitler appeared in an outspoken interview with London's The Times.

He was quoted as saying that democracy "hasn't done a lot of good for many countries - including this one [The United Kingdom]."

"In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done," Ecclestone was quoted as saying.

"In the end he got lost, so he wasn't a very good dictator."

Ecclestone also told The Times that Saddam Hussein, the executed former dictator of Iraq, "was the only one who could control that country."

He was quoted as saying that democracy "hasn't done a lot of good for many countries - including this one."

"In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done," Ecclestone was quoted as saying.

"In the end he got lost, so he wasn't a very good dictator."

Ecclestone, 78, first apologized in an interview with the German daily Bild Zeitung on Monday, saying his remarks had been taken out of context.
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  1.   Bernie Ecclestone 15:43  |  Ivor Kotzen 08/07/09
  2.   Re Prevent the banking crisis 19:12  |  Marty 08/07/09
  3.   Try a different Formula Ecclestone 19:26  |  H 08/07/09
  4.   It`s Like This, Mr. Ecclestone... 19:29  |  Heather Czerniak 08/07/09
  5.   Murder as Govt.policy. 19:49  |  Leslie Udwin 08/07/09
  6.   This Is Not Really A Surprise 20:25  |  Brendan 08/07/09
  7.   Almost useless to argue with obtuse Eccleston 20:58  |  Joe 08/07/09
  8.   World domination 21:15  |  Colin 08/07/09
  9.   So why did Lehman Bros go down, and not the others? 21:45  |  David Plane 08/07/09
  10.   It is revealed that Eccelstone made more comments blaming Jews 22:10  |  Israeli Realist 08/07/09
  11.   Max Mosely and Bernie 22:13  |  Arnold 08/07/09
  12.   eccleston is 22:16  |  Philippe 08/07/09
  13.   #7David Plane. You forget something... 23:26  |  Maureen Ann 08/07/09
  14.   People who hate us reach the head lines 00:01  |  Shoshana Thomasson 09/07/09
  15.   A NOTE FOR ALL 04:11  |  VIPER 09/07/09
  16.   Why Chamberlain had to act the way he did 04:19  |  Mark Lincoln 09/07/09
  17.   3 Heather Czerniak:What We Were Doing 04:21  |  Hugh 09/07/09
  18.   To Heather (#3) and Hugh (#11): On stoppoing evil 06:16  |  Morris Valentine 09/07/09
  19.   Tastless comments 06:23  |  Darren White 09/07/09
  20.   #11- what we were doing... 06:41  |  ian whitten 09/07/09
  21.   To Hugh 07:56  |  The real dope 09/07/09
  22.   Question for Mr.Ecclestone 10:19  |  Hastaroth 09/07/09
  23.   Mr. Eccleston 11:43  |  Renny 09/07/09
  24.   # 20 Ian Whitten 11:52  |  Nick Ferriman 09/07/09
  25.   Bernie Eccleston 12:17  |  Peter 09/07/09
  26.   Formula One Chief accuses Jews of complicity in financial crisis 12:23  |  Timothy 09/07/09
  27.   @19 Maybe tasteless, but true 14:58  |  Jim 09/07/09
  28.   So lets get this straight 15:19  |  Chris Linthwaite 09/07/09
  29.   to Ian Whitten 16:06  |  Jackie 09/07/09
  30.   Israeli occupation is to be blamed for all that 17:37  |  Tony Silver 09/07/09
  31.   in a fight between you vs Ecclestone 18:24  |  f1 fanatica 09/07/09
  32.   Go Away Bernie 19:06  |  Kristine 09/07/09
  33.   Max Mosely a Fascist? 19:58  |  Hal Tanner 09/07/09
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