The northern Belgian town of Aalst has decided to withdraw its annual carnival from the UN cultural heritage list, saying it is fed up with allegations of anti-Semitism.

The town was widely condemned after one of the floats at its carnival parade in March featured offensive caricature depictions of Orthodox Jews with hooked-noses and sitting atop bags of money. UNESCO, the European Union and Jewish groups called the float anti-Semitic, with the EU saying it was reminiscent of the kind of caricatures disseminated in Nazi Germany during the 1930s.

Aalst mayor Christoph D'Haese said Sunday that city officials "have had it a bit with the grotesque complaints" and no longer want the UNESCO designation.

"We are neither anti-Semitic nor racist. All those who support this are acting in bad faith. Aalst will always remain the capital of mockery and satire," he said in a statement quoted by Belga news agency.

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Centuries-old festival

Aalst's carnival is a 600-year-old tradition that attracts tens of thousands of people each year. The celebration is famous for its provocative and satirical parade floats, which often poke fun at celebrities, as well as religious and political leaders.

D'Haese said it was not up to him to police humor, adding that it was "unavoidable'' that there would be more Jewish ridicule at next year's carnival.

"We are on a very dangerous slippery slope when people will be able to decide what can be laughed at," he said.

A German town 'turns' Chinese - for a few days A Bavarian town with a different take on Carnival With cries of "Kille Wau" which is similar to Kölle Alaaf! Carnival in the Bavarian town of Dietfurt begins. The traditional costume in Bavaria is usually lederhosen or a dirndl, but here, during Carnival, Chinese costumes are mandatory. What was once a legend has taken on a bigger role in the life of this German town.

A German town 'turns' Chinese - for a few days The traditional parade - headed by an emperor On a day known as "Silly Thursday", the inhabitants of the small town of Dietfurt in Bavaria start the pre-Lent Carnival festival with a parade with over a 1,000 people. Almost everyone in town dresses up in Chinese clothes and there is even an Emperor chosen from one of the townspeople. The real mayor of Dietfurt is relegated to the position of "Imperial Mandarin" for the week.

A German town 'turns' Chinese - for a few days Not quite the traditional Bavarian costume for this Carnival celebration Legend has it, that in the 19th century, the Bishop of Eichstatt sent his treasurer to Dietfurt to collect taxes. The residents locked the city gates and refused to let him enter the town. Frustrated he went home told the bishop that the Dietfurters had barricaded themselves in their city "like the Chinese behind their wall."

A German town 'turns' Chinese - for a few days A tradition going back more than 90 years Dietfurt is a partner city with Nanjing, China. It is not an official "sister city" as Dietfurt only has 6000 inhabitants whereas Nanking has a population of 9 million. A tourist official did say however that both cities had a wall. And that the wall in Dietfurt was not meant to keep people out anymore, but to keep them in for Carnival.

A German town 'turns' Chinese - for a few days A Bavarian town with a Chinese connection Dietfurt has developed quite a relationship with China over the years. Chinese tourists brought news of the festival back to China and in 1982 Chinese radio and television made a documentary about some peculiar Germans who dressed up in Chinese costumes. Ever since then, there is a Bavarian-Chinese Culture Exchange Festival during summer with lectures, readings and cooking classes.

A German town 'turns' Chinese - for a few days Painting of faces is a tradition in town but is yellow face paint racist? When the tourist office spokeswoman in Dietfurt was asked whether local citizens dressing up in Chinese costumes and painting their faces yellow was considered racist by Chinese visitors, she said that it was not in any way meant to be harmful. She said that many Chinese visitors found the painting of faces amusing but not insulting. She said people in Dietfuhrt identify with Chinese culture. Author: Andy Valvur



'We will keep a close eye on Aalst'

Hans Knoop of the Belgian Forum of Jewish Organizations told The Associated Press that renouncing the UNESCO cultural heritage tag shouldn't clear the way for similar displays of anti-Semitism in the future.

"They are not at liberty to spew any more anti-Semitic dirt,'' he said. "We will keep a close eye on Aalst."

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It's not the first time the town's carnival has drawn controversy. In 2013, revelers dressed as Nazi SS officers marched in the parade alongside a float that resembled a Nazi railway wagon used to transport Jews to death camps.

The three-day festival, which takes place ahead of Roman Catholic Lent, was given heritage status by UNESCO in 2010.

The UN body was expected to decide at a December 12 meeting in Bogota, Colombia, whether to strip Aalst of its Intangible Cultural Heritage designation.

nm/aw (AFP, AP)

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