WEBSITE JUDAS.WATCH PLACED ON THE INDEX BY THE BPJM ON A WI INITIATIVE!
As we learned this afternoon from the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien (BPjM, Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors), the antisemitic hate website judaswatch has now finally been placed on the index. The proceedings could set a precedent. They resulted in what is called an “extension of the decision-making practice in the assessment of ‘online pillories’”. The BPjM’s 12-member panel found that so-called “online pillories” have “a harmful effect on minors in their own right, as a means of (violent) confrontation and conflict resolution”. Thus not only JudasWatch was placed on the index. At present the way appears to be clear to have similar websites indexed as well.
The BPjM writes: “With the indexing, the medium is included in the non-public parts of the list of media harmful to minors, which entails statutory prohibitions and restrictions on distribution and advertising under the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media (JMStV). The KJM is the central supervisory body for the protection of minors in private broadcasting and telemedia. Its task is to ensure compliance with the provisions on the protection of minors laid down in the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media (JMStV).
The major German search engine providers united under the umbrella of the FSM have also agreed, as part of a voluntary commitment, no longer to display websites that have been indexed by the Bundesprüfstelle.”
We regard this as a great success for civil society engagement! The research by the BR programme “Kontrovers” was pioneering in this. We thank everyone who followed our request and drew attention to the website with their report.
The Jewish association WerteInitiative comments: “It is good that this hate site is no longer accessible. But it is completely incomprehensible why the route via the protection of minors had to be taken and why another form of blocking was not possible until now – despite many criminal complaints. We will approach the Federal Minister of Justice and see how things can be improved in future.”
The background:
Hate and antisemitism online: for quite some time now, WerteInitiative – .Jüdisch-deutsche Positionen has been taking action against the website “Judas Watch”. In its view, the site lists “traitors to the white race”. Jewish persons are marked with a yellow star. This is clearly incitement to hatred and antisemitic. Neither a criminal complaint nor our intervention with ministries and authorities led to the site being blocked, because the site’s operators could not be identified.
In the programme “Kontrovers” of Bayerischer Rundfunk, an alternative route was presented by which the site could be “blocked”: the protection of minors. Under this, “Judas Watch” constitutes an inadmissible offering pursuant to § 4 JMStV. For this reason we reported the site to the “Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz” (KJM, Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media).
In order to act with emphasis, we ask you to report the homepage to the KJM as well. We have created a template for this. The more people protest against the availability of the homepage, the more likely it is that the KJM will take action. Please then send the email to: kjm@die-medienanstalten.de .
Feel free to cc: kontakt@werteinitiative.deDownload the template for a covering letter: hereKommission für Jugendmedienschutz (KJM)
die medienanstalten – ALM GbR
Gemeinsame Geschäftsstelle
Website “Judas Watch”, inciting hatred and harmful to minors
Dear Sir or Madam,
I would like to draw your attention to the website “Judas Watch” (https://judas.watch/) and ask you to protect our young people from the contents of this website and to block the website for access from Germany.
Under § 4 JMStV, the website “Judas Watch” is an inadmissible offering, since its content is clearly directed against the free democratic basic order and incites hatred against segments of the population and a religious group. The human dignity of the persons concerned is thereby attacked.
The website “Judas Watch”, which is very easy for anyone to find and access via Google, contributes massively with its content inciting hatred to a possible radicalisation of young people (and adults): according to its own description, the purpose of the website is to name “anti-White traitors, agitators and subversives” and to maintain a kind of public database about them. This site is moreover explicitly antisemitic, since it seeks to expose “Jewish influence” (see the website’s subtitle: “highlighting Jewish influence”). To this end it names, arranged by country, German Jews among others and marks them with a yellow star in front of their name. The website lists activities as well as supposed or actual relationships between the individual persons and organisations and thus seeks to show how much influence Jews supposedly have in Germany and worldwide behind the scenes. Being named on the homepage in some cases represents an enormous psychological burden for the individuals concerned, including their families. Some of the persons named are student representatives.
With currently 384 entries on individuals, Germany has the most entries on “Judas Watch” with the exception of the USA.
Especially against the background of the terrorist attack in Halle, but also after the murder of Lübcke in Kassel, the site constitutes a direct threat to the persons named, with incalculable consequences for them, but above all for the Jews specifically marked out. The manifesto of the Halle attacker was based exactly on the image of “white supremacy”, which is supposed to take action against such so-called “traitors”. In the assessment of the Verfassungsschutz (domestic intelligence service), the internet serves as an intensifier and accelerator of radicalisation, particularly also for young people: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/rechtsextremismus-gefaehrder-101.html
This applies not only to social networks, gaming platforms and messenger services, but equally to websites such as “Judas Watch”.
The site is hosted by Cloudflare Inc., since 28/03/2014 based at 101 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA, with the following IP address: 104.18.55.41
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) has also reported on the homepage several times.
At the following link you will find a report by the political magazine “Kontrovers”: https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/was-tun-gegen-antisemitismus-und-rassismus-auf-illegalen-seiten,RfeQt61
In addition, a detailed podcast on the subject is available. People affected also have their say in the podcast:
https://www.br.de/mediathek/podcast/der-funkstreifzug/todeslisten-im-netz-warum-rechtsextreme-online-pranger-nicht-geloescht-werden/1766960
I look forward to your prompt reply and your positive decision.
Yours faithfully
