Italy's Jewish community should
"change its stupid and ignorant" spokesman after it condemned
Beppe Grillo's latest tirade because of its play on the title of
Holocaust survivor Primo Levi's most famous book, If This Is A
Man, the anti-establishment comedian-turned-politician said
Tuesday.
Grillo, leader of the opposition 5-Star Movement (M5S),
stressed that his use of the line "If This Is A Country" to
attack Premier Matteo Renzi and President Giorgio Napolitano, as
well as an accompanying doctored photo of Auschwitz with the
infamous sign changed from Arbeit Macht Frei to "(outlawed
Masonic lodge) P2 Macht Frei", had been "misunderstood".
"There was no intent to offend" in his blog post, which
raised hackles in the Jewish community and was widely criticised
in the media, said the leader of M5S, which won a shock 25% in
the general election a year ago.
"The Jewish community should change its stupid and ignorant
communicator," said Grillo, who boycotts the media and
communicates with his movement via the Web and through
foul-mouthed rally rants, periodically expelling members who
disagree with him.
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