Romania Stands Firm Against Semitic Thuggery

[Rev.Cambeul]

Bank stands firm over 'anti-Semitic coin'

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/bank-stands-firm-over-anti-semitic-coin/story-e6frea73-1225907562739?from=public_rss

ROMANIA'S central bank stood firm overnight against accusations of racism from the Holocaust Museum in Washington over minting a coin depicting a leader who held anti-Semitic views.

"No decision has been taken over the suspension of this coin," the National Bank of Romania (BNR) spokesman said, adding that it was still available for people to buy.

To mark 125 years since the setting up of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the central bank had minted five silver coins carrying the images of its patriarchs since 1925.

The first of the five was Miron Cristea, who led the Church between 1925 and 1939 and headed the Romanian government from 1938-39.

As prime minister, Cristea amended the citizenship law, thereby stripping 225,000 Jews (or 37 per cent of the country's total Jewish population) of their Romanian citizenship.

At the start of August, the BNR received letters of protest from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of Holocaust in Romania.

The BNR set up an internal commission to look into the issue.

It affirmed that its selection was "in no way and by no means intended to hurt the feelings of any community, to prejudice the interests of specific groups or to convey xenophobic, racist or anti-Semite messages".