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Last update - 19:39 23/09/2007
EU to give e15 million to college run by allegedly anti-Semitic priest
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent

The European Union has decided to give 15 million euros to a Polish college headed by controversial Catholic priest Tadeusz Rydzyk, who is accused regularly of disseminating anti-Semitism.

The College of Social and Media Culture, is affiliated with Rydzyk's radio station Radia Maryja, which itself has been accused of regularly hosting Holocaust deniers on its programs.

Holocaust survivor organizations have launched a campaign to block the move. Noah Flug, chairman of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, has asked EU Commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso to prevent the transfer of funds to the institution.

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In addition to accusations of anti-Semitism, the institution is widely considered to oppose the European Union. The intention to fund the college is interpreted by some as an attempt by the EU and the government of Poland to silence one of the union's loudest opponents.

Rydzyk has recently received press for several anti-Semitic statements he has made on the radio station and at the college, which he founded and heads. He recently told students that Jews use the American financier George Soros' money to seize control of Poland, and regularly blames Jews of being greedy.

"Public figures in Poland have expressed sorrow for the pogrom after the war against the Jews in Jedwabne only because they received Jewish bribes ... All of the claims by Jews of the injustice that was caused to them had one goal: to extort money from the Polish," Rydzyk has been quoted as saying.

The Polish weekly Wprost published excerpts from a lecture Rydzyk allegedly delivered at the college, where he is quoted as criticizing Lech Kaczynski, the president, for bowing to pressure to compensate people - many of them Jews - for property nationalized by the postwar communist government, and for donating land for a future Jewish museum when Kaczynski was Warsaw's mayor.

"You know that it's about Poland giving $65 billion dollars to the Jews," Rydzyk reportedly said. "They will come to you and say: give me your coat. Take off your pants. Give me your shoes."

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  1.   just so long as they`re not Islamophobic 16:29  |  bob 23/09/07
  2.   EU to give e15 million 16:30  |  VoiceOfReason 23/09/07
  3.   EU frowns on Polish priest`s school 16:32  |  Noa 23/09/07
  4.   I have heard that Jews have a sixth sense for anti-semitism 16:36  |  Natallie Durson 23/09/07
  5.   Is this the same EU that constantly demands of Israel to 16:38  |  Albert 23/09/07
  6.   Poland has money? 16:57  |  Avi (from Poland) 23/09/07
  7.   In Addition to 17:01  |  Avi (from Poland) 23/09/07
  8.   Fliss 17:29  |  To Avi in Poland 23/09/07
  9.   the author gots the facts wrong 17:41  |  Leona 23/09/07
  10.   "Anti-Semitism without Jews" 17:55  |  Yonatan 23/09/07
  11.   Natalie you knows all about JEWS! 17:58  |  Avi 23/09/07
  12.   EU funding anti-Semitism since long 18:00  |  Jonathan S 23/09/07
  13.   To Fliss 18:24  |  Avi (from Poland) 23/09/07
  14.   #4 18:24  |  q 23/09/07
  15.   Old Europe Can`t Seem To Dissappear, The EU=OLD TRASH 18:24  |  Tal 23/09/07
  16.   To Avi 18:25  |  Avi (from Poland) 23/09/07
  17.   #9, where did you get that info? 18:27  |  q 23/09/07
  18.   #11 Avi Re Natalie 18:31  |  Wesley 23/09/07
  19.   #5 Albert 18:39  |  Wesley 23/09/07
  20.   omg 18:40  |  dani 23/09/07
  21.   Natalie u don`t have one sense let alone 6.Yes Nat u don`t have 18:45  |  Steve-NYC 23/09/07
  22.   facts 18:49  |  Leona 23/09/07
  23.   Nattalie D doesn`t have a 6th sense in when to shut up 18:54  |  Richard S 23/09/07
  24.   Natalie 19:04  |  H 23/09/07
  25.   @7, avi from poland. of course jews are responsible 19:46  |  vladimir 23/09/07
  26.   nattalie b`int mahmud. 19:46  |  bernard k 23/09/07
  27.   FOR WESLEY: 20:05  |  Brant 23/09/07
  28.   66% of Poles are against Rydzyk 20:07  |  Justine 23/09/07
  29.   CHURCH SAY SOMETHING 20:12  |  TOBIA 23/09/07
  30.   To Avi - you sure you`re from Poland? 20:21  |  Justine 23/09/07
  31.   Stop the anti-EUism! 20:21  |  Mikael 23/09/07
  32.   antisemitic priest 20:23  |  Rita 23/09/07
  33.   poland.. 20:31  |  tiara 23/09/07
  34.   Pollacs the "worlds biggest joke" 20:38  |  ottomatik 23/09/07
  35.   oh. the truth always hurts. 20:39  |  sami 23/09/07
  36.   to Avi #7 20:41  |  J 23/09/07
  37.   what`s the suprise? just showing their true colours. 20:42  |  ralph 23/09/07
  38.   # 9 the same error was published in the 20:42  |  Kris 23/09/07
  39.   # 12 20:51  |  Kris 23/09/07
  40.   Rita 21:06  |  Judith 23/09/07
  41.   Polish Holocaust Deniers 21:12  |  Judith 23/09/07
  42.   For Kris in Austria 21:32  |  Jonathan S 23/09/07
  43.   Answer to the Tony Judt`s 21:33  |  Bill 23/09/07
  44.   Natallie you ARE an anti-semite 21:37  |  Bill 23/09/07
  45.   #18 Wesley 21:41  |  Bill 23/09/07
  46.   To Judith - Holocaust denial 21:43  |  Justine 23/09/07
  47.   Justine 23:01  |  Connie 23/09/07
  48.   Kris #38 23:13  |  wolfgang 23/09/07
  49.   Disguisting beyond belief, my wishes for you who made this happen 23:26  |  Johnny 23/09/07
  50.   #45 Bill 23:30  |  Wesley 23/09/07
  51.   Justine,has any of multitudes in Jedwabny been prosecuted 23:30  |  Absolute Sweden 23/09/07
  52.   #47 To an expert in Poles and Jews relations 23:49  |  mark 23/09/07
  53.   Natalie 23:51  |  Dr J 23/09/07
  54.   Avi and Avi 23:53  |  Dr.J 23/09/07
  55.   To J 23:54  |  Avi (from Poland) 23/09/07
  56.   to Connie 23:55  |  Justine 23/09/07
  57.   Wesley 00:03  |  Avi 24/09/07
  58.   To Connie 00:06  |  Paul 24/09/07
  59.   Maybe... 00:20  |  Edith 24/09/07
  60.   #44, Bill 00:27  |  Hannah 24/09/07
  61.   @36, J O`K, it is clear, you are nazi. get lost 00:30  |  vladimir 24/09/07
  62.   Absolute Sweden 00:43  |  Luke 24/09/07
  63.   to Avi 00:52  |  Justine 24/09/07
  64.   to Natalie Durson 01:00  |  Isaac Block 24/09/07
  65.   to Absolute Sweden 01:17  |  Justine 24/09/07
  66.   Justine 01:53  |  Connie 24/09/07
  67.   DURSON #2 03:18  |  JOJO 24/09/07
  68.   to Connie 03:25  |  Justine 24/09/07
  69.   AVI 03:29  |  JOJO 24/09/07
  70.   Connie 03:36  |  mp3 24/09/07
  71.   to Connie 03:39  |  Justine 24/09/07
  72.   #66 To Connie, the "expert" 03:44  |  mark 24/09/07
  73.   to Vladimir 04:25  |  J 24/09/07
  74.   to Avi 04:35  |  J 24/09/07
  75.   to Judith 04:40  |  J 24/09/07
  76.   The times are changing 06:04  |  Ron 24/09/07
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