American judge claims Jews should ‘get the f**k over the Holocaust’
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American judge claims Jews should ‘get the f**k over the Holocaust’

Jewish groups and other organisations call for the reprimand of Tennessee's Jim Lammey of the Shelby County Criminal Court.

Judge Jim Lammey (Screenshot from WMC 5)
Judge Jim Lammey (Screenshot from WMC 5)

A Tennessee judge posted racist and antisemitic articles on his Facebook page, including one saying that Jews should “get the f**k over the Holocaust.”

A coalition of organisations, including Jewish ones, have called for a reprimand of Jim Lammey of the Shelby County Criminal Court.

Lammey posted a link to an article written by known Holocaust denier David Cole that referred to Muslim immigrants as “foreign mud” and made the Holocaust slur. He also shared anti-immigration articles, memes and conspiracy theories, The Commercial Appeal reported.

The judge has denied being racist or antisemitic and says he has the right to free speech, according to the report. He also says that nothing that he has shared on Facebook would prevent him from judging all cases fairly.

“I certainly don’t agree with that, being a Holocaust denier. My best friend — who’s deceased now — was Jewish and I wouldn’t do that,” he told The Commercial Appeal.

Lammey said that he accidentally allowed his Facebook posts to be public earlier this year. They are now no longer visible to the public.

He was elected to office in 2006 and re-elected to serve an eight-year term in 2014.

Among the Jewish groups that have called for Lammey’s censure are the Anti-Defamation League Southeast Region, Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville & Middle Tennessee, Jewish Community Partners and the Tennessee Holocaust Commission. Others include the NAACP Memphis Branch, Memphis Islamic Center, American Muslim Advisory Council, Bridges, Facing History and Ourselves, Memphis Islamic Centre and the National Civil Rights Museum.

 

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