Dutch city names resident poet who called Shoah a ‘cover-up for dumb sheep’
City of Haarlem announced Darryl Danchelo Osenga as city poet sparking protests from Dutch activists
A Dutch city named as its resident poet a rapper who in a 2012 song called the Holocaust a “cover up for dumb sheep” and a “joke” compared to slavery.
The office of Jos Wienen, the mayor of Haarlem, a city of about 160,000 residents that is the capital of the Dutch province of North Holland, announced Darryl Danchelo Osenga’s title of city poet on Wednesday, sparking passionate protests from Dutch Jews and non-Jews.
Osenga, whose stage name is Insayno, “will give the institution of city poet a new direction,” the statement on the honorary nomination read. “His poems overflow with love for language and for the city of Haarlem.” The city gives the honour every other year to a different artist.
In a statement, the Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel, or CIDI, expressed its “shock” at the decision, citing his 2012 song “Black Page,” among other objections.
In that track, Insayno says: “Only talking about the war. The Holocaust is just a cover-up for dumb sheep. I see you think, this can’t be: Eight million Jews? I’m talking about 18 million slaves. The treatment at the concentration camps is just a little joke in comparison with our slave trade. Gassing people, that’s also sad but just for laughs you should learn about torture.”
The municipality of Haarlem said in a reaction to the protests that the mayor spoke with Insayno on the subject and that he had apologised and distanced himself from the poem. “He deserves a second chance,” the statement said.
CIDI called the song a perpetuation of antisemitic stereotypes and “marginalisation of the Holocaust.”
He also wrote in that song that Dutch people are being “indoctrinated like Orthodox Jews.”
Insayno in 2016 was convicted of inciting a riot at a police station during protests over the death of a Black detainee shortly after he was detained by police.
He did not wish to comment on the current controversy, Het Parool reported.
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.
