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My slightly one-sided correspondence with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Germany


My letter of May the 17th, 2013

Dear Sirs,

Please allow me to introduce myself: my name is Richard Schoot, I am a Dutchman and I was born in 1958. Since the spring of 2001, I am profoundly impressed by the teachings, acts and sacrifice of Yeshua, the Jew we've come to know as Jesus Christ, and by the hope He is offering.

I am the author of the internet text 'Britain faces the threat of Anglocide', which can be read on my website www.ibcpp.org.uk I have also been a contributor to the British Democracy Forum, www.democracyforum.co.uk > The Lounge: Introduce Yourself > date of last post: 26-10-2012.

On November the 12th, 2012, I saw the following Ceefax message on the ZDF, the second main channel of German television:

Far-right attitudes in Germany on the rise
Far-right attitudes are on the rise. Nine percent of all Germans have "a closed far-right view of the world" - as was shown by a study of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, an organisation in the vicinity of the SPD, Germany's Labour Party. In 2010, the figure was still 8.2 percent. The radicalisation becomes especially clear in eastern Germany: 15.8 percent of the interviewed persons display far-right thought. In 2010, it was still 10.5 percent. Hostility towards foreigners is with more than 25 percent the most widespread far-right attitude, the researchers observed. One in eleven has anti-Semitic attitudes at the same time.

(Original text: Rechtsextreme Einstellungen in Deutschland nehmen zu - Rechtsextreme Einstellungen nehmen zu. Neun Prozent aller Deutschen haben ein “geschlossenes rechtsextremes Weltbild” – dies ergab eine Studie der SPD-nahen Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. 2010 waren es noch 8,2 Prozent. Besonders deutlich zeigt sich die Radikalisierung in Ostdeutschland: 15,8 Prozent der Befragten wiesen hier rechtsextremes Denken auf, 2010 waren es noch 10,5 Prozent. Ausländerfeindlichkeit ist mit mehr als einem Viertel die am weitesten verbreitete rechtsextreme Einstellung, stellten die Forscher fest. Jeder Elfte hat zugleich antisemitische Einstellungen.)

In this Ceefax message, several emotionally charged concepts are mentioned: 'far-right', 'closed view of the world', 'radicalisation', 'hostility towards foreigners' and 'anti-Semitism'.

I am the author of political texts which a number of readers would not describe using one or more of the aforementioned terms, whereas a number of other readers would. I would therefore like to invite you to an internet debate with me, for the purpose of bringing about some clarification in this very important matter. After all, these terms and others, like 'racism', 'discrimination' and 'prejudices', play a very important role in the politics of our times, given the associations and emotions which these words are likely to originate in the minds of millions of people, whenever they read or hear them.

I am approaching the Friedrich Ebert Foundation with my invitation, because the ZDF Ceefax editor was presenting it as a leading institution, authorized to decide whether or not these terms apply to the opinions of the interviewed persons.

So for starters, I would like to ask you how the Friedrich Ebert Foundation defines 'far-right' ('rechtsextrem').

I will publish your reaction, for which I would be most grateful, on my website.

Yours sincerely,
Richard Schoot

P.S.: I will send you this letter by mail. On May the 17th, I published it on my website.


I haven't got a reaction. (24th July 2013)


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My letter of July the 24th, 2013

Dear Sirs,

On May the 17th, I sent you a letter in which I asked you how the Friedrich Ebert Foundation defines 'far-right' ('rechtsextrem').

Regrettably, I haven't got a reaction, but perhaps I will have more luck with asking you another important question: how does your foundation define 'radicalisation'?

This question is derived from the same ZDF Ceefax report I quoted in my first letter.

If you send me a reaction, I will thankfully publish it.

Yours sincerely,
Richard Schoot

P.S.: I'll send you this letter by mail. On July the 24th, I put it on my website.


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Their e-mail of July the 29th
The sender was Dr. Ralf Melzer, who is working for the foundation's 'Projekt Gegen Rechtsextremismus - Forum Berlin / Politischer Dialog'.

(quoting the e-mail's relevant part:)

Subject: your request

Dear Mr. Schoot,

you are asking about how the FES is defining right-wing extremism. You will find the way we are using this term and related terms like radical right in our publications such as:

http://www.fes.de/cgi-bin/gbv.cgi?id=07908&ty=pdf

http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/do/08338.pdf

http://www.fes.de/cgi-bin/gbv.cgi?id=10031&ty=pdf

http://www.fes-gegen-rechtsextremismus.de/pdf_12/ergebnisse_mitte_studie_2012.pdf

Radicalization is expressing a process in which attitudes and/or behaviors are getting more and more extreme which can occur in very different ways.

Kind regards
Ralf Melzer

(unquote)


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My e-mail of September the 9th, 2013

Dear Dr Melzer,

Thank you for your e-mail of July the 29th, and thank you for your definition of 'radicalization'. Now, earlier I asked your foundation for its definition of 'far right'. Regretfully, your e-mail doesn't inform me about that. Instead, you sent me links to four PDF documents, that, added up, count 190 + 348 + 4 + 448 = 990 pages. None of these documents has a paragraph or chapter titled 'Definitions' in their tables of contents.

I've read about 35 pages of the document 'Right-wing extremism in Europe', of which you are one of the editors. Page 2 tells the readers that the opinions in the document not necessarily reflect those of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. On page 11, author Michael Minkenberg writes:

Defining the radical right

My point of departure in what follows is modernization theory. Modernization can be understood as a process of social change characterized by increasing functional differentiation and personal autonomy. Accordingly, I define right-wing radicalism as the effort to undo or combat modernization by radicalizing inclusionary and exclusionary criteria of belonging. It is the overemphasis on, or radicalization of, images of social homogeneity that characterizes extreme right-wing thinking, with the nation serving as the primary "we-group". And this logic applies to a large extent to xenophobia, as well. In other words, right-wing extremism is a political ideology revolving around the myth of a homogenous nation - a romantic and populist ultra-nationalism hostile to liberal, pluralistic democracy, with its underlying principles of individualism and universalism. (...)

(unquote)

So there is a definition of right-wing extremism, and it is Mr Minkenberg's.
I now have to ask you whether this is also the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's definition of right-wing extremism, given the reservation made on page 2.
Is it?

Yours sincerely,
Richard Schoot

P.S. I am publishing my correspondence with the F.E.F. on my website www.ibcpp.org.uk


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My e-mail of October the 10th, 2013

Dear Mr Melzer,

In my e-mail of the other month, I quoted a definition of right-wing extremism to you, as worded by author Mr Minkenberg, and I asked you whether this definition is also the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s definition of right-wing extremism.

Unfortunately, you haven’t yet reacted, so I have to repeat my question: is it?

Yours sincerely,
Richard Schoot

P.S. I am publishing my correspondence with the F.E.F. on my website www.ibcpp.org.uk


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My last e-mail to Dr Ralf Melzer of November the 9th, 2013

Dear Dr Melzer,

Asking for your attention for the last time, I would like to point out the following unbalance to you.

On the one hand, your foundation is constantly measuring the degree of 'right-wing extremism' in the opinions of the people who are willing to answer the questions of the FEF's researchers.

Subsequently, your foundation is constantly publishing documents about 'right-wing extremism', and your foundation is sending these documents to the press, hoping, and not in vain, that the press will make these reports widely known. So people inside and outside Germany open their newspapers and they read about the Friedrich Ebert Foundation reporting on 'right-wing extremism'. People inside and outside Germany watch, for instance, the Ceefax service of broadcasters ZDF, and they read about the Friedrich Ebert Foundation reporting on 'right-wing extremism'.

Yet on the other hand, when one person, from the multitude of all those readers and TV viewers, returns one question to the FEF and simply asks: "How does your organization define 'right-wing extremism'?", answering that seems to be the hardest thing in the world, although the titles of your publications and the reports of the media are strongly giving the impression that the Friedrich Ebert Foundation must have some clearly distinct views on the subject.

So far, I've raised the issues of 'right-wing extremism' and 'radicalization', on the basis of the ZDF Ceefax text which I quoted in my first letter. Looking at the same text, I want to ask you two other questions:

How does your foundation define 'hostility towards foreigners'?
How does your foundation define 'anti-Semitism'?

My earlier experiences don't give much cause for optimism about the chances you will answer me, but it is my conviction that these are very important questions, as I believe they will once help to demonstrate the enormous gap between the way of thinking of Europe's current rulers and the way of thinking of benevolent people in their tens of millions.

If you prefer to remain silent, thanks for your time and your one e-mail anyhow.

Yours sincerely,
Richard Schoot

P.S. I am publishing my correspondence with the FEF on my website www.ibcpp.org.uk




Britain, The Netherlands, Europe are in very big trouble, in my view. Our countries urgently need new political parties, Christian Patriotic parties, and it is very important to know what Torahism is. Please read my main text at www.ibcpp.org.uk
      If you come to agree with my views, please always remember that the only way out is a peaceful and patient way. Not a single foreigner or Jew can be held responsible for the country's present situation. Avoid confrontations that can easily turn overheated. Don't react to provocations. Please don't view the avoiding as cowardice. It isn't. Be strong, be calm and calm down others if their anger may cause them to do foolish things.

Long live the Jews, down with Torahism.


                                      
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