The German Central Council of Jews has put pressure on the city of Frankfurt to reverse its decision to invite Alfred Grosser to speak next month at ceremonies commemorating the 1938 beginning of systematic Nazi violence against Jews.
Stephan Kramer, general secretary of the council, said he wrote a letter to the mayor of Frankfurt, Petra Roth, demanding Grosser's invitation be cancelled because he was unfit to be guest speaker.
Kramer accused Grosser of putting 'the Holocaust on a level with the current situation of the Palestinian people.'
A Jew who escaped Nazi Germany, the 85-year-old Grosser has been a fierce and vociferous critic of the Zionist regime for its daily humiliation of Palestinians.
In an interview with the Deutsche Welle broadcasting network last year he described himself as pro-Palestinian 'because the Palestinians are despised, are occupied and I think that the majority of Israel's citizens despise Palestinians.'
In his recent book 'Von Auschwitz nach Jerusalem' ('From Auschwitz to Jerusalem'), the acclaimed political scientist lambasted Israel for accusing Germany of anti-Semitism.
Meanwhile, Grosser argued that Germany was not critical enough of the Zionist regime by providing an example: 'When German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed the Knesset, she didn't mention the Palestinians. She spoke as if she were a member of the Likud (party).'
Grosser pointed out German politicians were too cautious when dealing with the Zionist state.
'From the German side they don't say anything because of Auschwitz,' he said.
'When the Israelis want something from the Germans, they like to remind them of Auschwitz,' Grosser added.
He provided a present example to illustrate his thesis: 'Germany is now considering paying for the next Israeli submarine. They have already paid for five submarines. It will be the sixth one. Why should Germany pay?'
Grosser said it was 'deeply shocking' to note that ordinary Germans did not dare to speak about the atrocities committed by the Zionist regime.
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