In the Chimney as Smoke': Romanian TV Airs Shocking Christmas Carol Using Nasty Slur and Promoting the Burning of Jews

A new Romanian public television channel aired a Christmas carol with anti-Semitic lyrics during its first broadcast that appeared to promote the burning of Jews.

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), rural television channel, TVR3 Verde, aired the carol sung by the Dor Transilvan ensemble which included these shocking lyrics riddled with the repeated use of an offensive anti-Semitic slur and an apparent call to violence: “The kikes, damn kikes, Holy God would not leave the kike alive, neither in heaven nor on earth, only in the chimney as smoke, this is what the kike is good for, to make kike smoke through the chimney on the street.”

A song featured on Romanian television celebrating Christmas included extremely anti-Semitic lyrics (Screenshot: YouTube)

TVR3 issued a statement on Tuesday saying it was not behind the choice of the songs which were arranged by the Cluj County Center for Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture.

The Jerusalem Post says this is the video of the controversial song that aired on December 5:

The broadcaster has now called the carol “an uninspired choice.”

MCA Romania, which monitors anti-Semitism in Romania, sent a protest letter to Romanian President Traian Basecu and to Prime Minister Victor Ponta since the excerpt was aired on a publicly-funded channel.

JTA published an excerpt of the letter from Maximillian Marco Katz and Marius Draghici of MCA Romania that stated, “We are shocked to see that the Romanian Public Television Channel 3 broadcast an anti-Semitic Christmas carol…It is outrageous that none in the audience took a stance against the anti-Semitic Christian carol that incites to burn the Jews.”

Screenshot of Romanian television via YouTube

Additionally, they assailed the station for trying “to deny responsibility” by laying the blame with Cluj County officials for having allegedly chosen the song.

Israel National News reported that last year, a Romanian member of the European Parliament denied the Holocaust on television.

"There was never a Holocaust in Romania," Member of the European Parliament Corneliu Vadim Tudor said. "I will deny it until I die because I love my people."

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