The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) denounced a conference taking place in Tehran devoted to promoting anti-Semitic propaganda which drew Holocaust deniers and international anti-Semites to the Iranian capital.
The New Horizon Conference is part of the Tehran's 13th International Resistance Film Festival.
Last year, the conference’s cancellation was attributed to the “more moderate” tone of the new government of President Hassan Rouhani.
“This conference provides yet another example of how the Iranian government facilitates the spread of global anti-Semitism,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.
He added : “Participation by an international assortment of Holocaust deniers and anti-Semites is de rigueur for these types of events. A disturbing new element in this anti-Jewish gathering is the appearance on the guest list of a few high visibility U.S. antiwar and anti-Israel activists who claim their positions are not motivated by anti-Semitism. It will be harder for them to make that claim now, given their open collusion with this event and its Iranian government sponsors.”
The Tehran conference materials claim the meeting is devoted to focusing on a range of topics, including “Similarities between Nazism and Zionism, America and the Zionist crimes in the world, Hollywood and the Israel lobby….”
It opened with a statement from Mohsen Ghomi, official advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said, “Our source of power is just our words which are the biggest threat to Zionists,” and that, “American officials are puppets of the Zionist lobby who are taking advantage of American ignorance.”
The New Horizon Conference, currently taking place in Tehran as part of its 13th International Resistance Film Festival, has also drawn some high-profile American anti-Israel activists such as Medea Benjamin of “CODEPINK,” revealing a disturbing collusion between those activists and Iranian purveyors of anti-Semitic agitprop, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
“This conference provides yet another example of how the Iranian government facilitates the spread of global anti-Semitism,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “Participation by an international assortment of Holocaust deniers and anti-Semites is de rigueur for these types of events. A disturbing new element in this anti-Jewish gathering is the appearance on the guest list of a few high visibility U.S. antiwar and anti-Israel activists who claim their positions are not motivated by anti-Semitism. It will be harder for them to make that claim now, given their open collusion with this event and its Iranian government sponsors.”
French anti-Semitic comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, the creator of the anti-Semitic “quenelle” gesture, is among the conference's participants.