Munich Olympics massacre film a ‘scandalous revision of history’
'Munich: A Palestinian Story' has been criticised for blaming German police for the murder of Israelis athletes.
The representative body of French Jewry has condemned the planned showing of a film about the 1972 Munich Olympics at the Cannes Film Festival, which it says is a “scandalous revision of history”.
Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (CRIF) leaders took aim at ‘Munich: A Palestinian Story’ by writing to the French culture minister, protesting the film’s emphasis.
CRIF president Roger Cukierman said it inaccurately blames the German police for the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes, held hostage by Palestinian terrorists from the Black September group.
CRIF said the film script states: “Everything ended when German security forces stormed in, killing five Palestinians and 11 Israeli athletes.” This, Cukierman claimed, was “a scandalous revision of historical facts,” adding that he was “concerned” at the planned screening at a promotional event for Arab cinema at Cannes.
Following a firefight with the hijackers, German police captured three terrorists, but two were released later that year, after other Palestinian terrorists threatened to kill the passengers of a German flight they had hijacked.
Israeli agents later travelled the world, assassinating the culprits, a story later told in the Steven Spielberg film ‘Munich.’
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
