09 June , 2006
German Jewish leaders are outraged that Iran's vice-president will attend the World Cup opening ceremonies in Munich on Friday. Given repeated Holocaust denial by the Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad, the participation of his deputy, Mohammed Aliabadi, "was a provocation and evidence of the political bankruptcy of German policy vis-à-vis Iran’s Mullah regime,” Stephan Kramer, secretary-general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said in a statement on Thursday. The statement comes as Jewish leaders – including the newly elected council president, Charlotte Knobloch – suggest the Iranian president should not enjoy the traditional diplomatic immunity should he decide to come to Germany during the World Cup. Holocaust denial is illegal in Germany. Several Jewish, pro-Israeli and Iranian opposition groups are planning to demonstrate against the current Iranian regime during the Iran-Mexico match in Nuremberg on Sunday.
Read about the WJC's compaign for international condemnation of President Ahmadinejad
