EJA to begin legal action against Humo magazine over 'psychopathic' column
The European Jewish Association (EJA) is launching a lawsuit against Belgian magazine Humo and writer Herman Brusselmans following a column published on Tuesday, the organisation has announced.
In his column, Brusselmans writes that seeing the image of a Palestinian boy screaming for his mother lying beneath rubble makes him imagine his own son and partner and “makes him so enraged that he wants to shove a knife down the throat of every Jew he meets”.
The EJA called the passage “psychopathic”. “The EJA has launched a fierce legal battle against Humo magazine and its writer, Herman Brusselmans, for incitement to murder,” it said on X. “Such dangerous rhetoric invites real violence.”
The organisation is demanding a public apology from Humo for the “outrageous lapse in editorial judgement” and the immediate suspension of Brusselmans.
'Metaphorical image'
In response, Brusselmans told VRT NWS that the EJA’s accusations, especially incitement to murder, were “completely off the mark”.
By “bombing innocent people to death”, he said, Israel is “creating a generation that will want revenge for the next 50 years. With my column, I wanted to say that when something is done to your loved ones without any cause, you are steeped in total rage.
“The image of wanting to stab a knife in the throat is a metaphorical image of all kinds of ways to take revenge. In my case, that is through writing. It is in no way incitement to murder.”
Brusselmans, 66, is a novelist, poet, playwright and columnist. He is one of the best-selling authors in Flanders and known for his often controversial and offensive writing. In 2000, he had to pay damages to fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester over comments he made about her in one of his books.
"His work should be judged by literary rather than journalistic standards"
Humo said on Wednesday that Brusselmans’ words were “part of a satirical column, not a journalistic article or interview” and refuted criticism that the passage was “psychopathic” or would incite murder.
“For those who read the full column, it is abundantly clear that Herman did not mean the sentences literally,” it said. With satirical writers such as Brusselmans, “what is written should never be taken 100 per cent literally. That is why the editors did not intervene”.
Deputy editor-in-chief Matthias Vanderaspoilden also points to the writer’s well-known style. “Herman Brusselmans is a celebrated and respected writer who likes to curse and scold in his many books and texts, using hyperbole and obscene language. Even more than other columns, therefore, his work should be judged by literary rather than journalistic standards.”
#FlandersNewsService | Herman Brusselmans © DUTCHPRESSPHOTO
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