Swedish public radio has issued an apology after the Israeli ambassador to Sweden was asked by a host on the network if the rise in anti-Semitism is the fault of the Jews.
“Are Jews themselves responsible for the progression of anti-Semitism?” the unnamed radio host asked Ambassador Isaac Bachman during a live radio interview.
According to Sweden's The Local, Bachman seemed shocked and responded: "I purely and simply reject the question."
But the radio host continued to press the matter, asking: "Why?"
"There was no reason to ask this question," Bachman said.
The Local reports that Sveriges Radio removed the audio from its archive in addition to issuing an apology.
Mourners attend the burial of Dan Uzan, Jewish victim of the February 15, 2015 attacks, at the Vestre Kirkegaard cemetery in Copenhagen on February 18, 2015. Dan Uzan, a 37-year-old volunteer security guard, was killed outside Copenhagen's main synagogue in the second of two weekend shootings that sent jitters across Europe. AFP PHOTO / Scanpix Denmark / BAX LINDHARDT DENMARK OUT
“We offer our fullest apologies for this question. It was misleading and put blame on individuals and on a vilified group," a statement on Sveriges Radio's website read. "The Jewish community has suffered a horrible act of terror and has all our sympathy."
The question comes amid a slew of anti-Semitic attacks in Europe, and just days after a shooting at a synagogue in Denmark. Jews have begun fleeing Europe in record numbers and Ariel Kandel, who heads the Jewish Agency’s French chapter, told the AFP a "climate of anti-Semitism" is one of the primary reasons Jews are leaving.
Sweden's relationship with Israel has been also been strained by the country's decision to officially recognize Palestine as a state in October.
