Judge Gives Vauro Senesi's Antisemitic Cartoon of Fiamma Nirenstein A Pass

Benjamin Weintha writes about an odd turn of events when an Italian judge gives an antisemitic cartoonist a pass:Journo fined for satire of anti-Semitic cartoon

An Italian court moved forward last week with its decision to compel an Italian journalist to pay a 25,000- euro fine because he satirized a cartoon by Vauro Senesi, which depicted the Jewish Italian politician Fiamma Nirenstein in classic anti-Semitic terms, according to critics in Italy and the US-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

According to the judge, Emanuela Attura, regardless of the content and implications of his cartoon, Vauro Senesi's cartoon cannot be considered antisemitic.

Why not?

"because Senesi had performed relief work with the Italian NGO Emergency, which delivers medical aid to Pakistan and Afghanistan. According to her ruling, Senesi’s charity work proved that he was not anti-Semitic."

You won't be surprised to learn that the cartoon and Attura's absurd sentence has created something of an uproar and has led to international criticism of Italy’s court system as well as Italy's left-wing media.

I don't know.

Senesi's cartoon may not be equal to this cartoon...

...which won first prize in the annual competition of the British Political Cartoon Society in 2003,

it is at least on a par with Oliphant's obscene cartoon in 2009 comparing Israel with Nazis.

With a little practice, I'm sure Vauro Senesi will draw cartoons that will rate with the worst.


Technorati Tag: Vauro Senesi and Fiamma+Nirenstein and Antisemitism.