German media company suspends staffers amid antisemitism investigation

German media company Deutsche Welle has suspended four employees and one freelancer amid its investigation that was launched this week after accusations of antisemitism were made against it.

The accusations come from a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, which alleges that several members of Deutsche Welle’s Arabic editorial team made antisemitic comments.

One example mentioned states that an editor was said to have called the Holocaust an “artificial product” on Facebook, reportedly adding that Jews would continue to control “people’s brains through art, media, and music.”

Another reported remark said that “everyone involved with the Israelis is a collaborator and every recruit in the ranks of their army is a traitor and must be executed.”

Deutsche Welle’s investigation is allegedly being carried out by former German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger and psychologist Ahmad Mansour. The media company said that the staffers would remain suspended until the investigation was complete and that it would “immediately draw the necessary consequences” once it has concluded.

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