Jewish group calls for Ecclestone’s resignation
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AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 06, 2009 00:00
NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress is calling for Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone to resign after he was quoted as saying that Adolf Hitler "got things done."
In the interview with The Times, Ecclestone also said democracy "hasn't done a lot of good for many countries - including this one."
In a statement Sunday, Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said Ecclestone is not fit to serve as head of Formula One and called on teams, drivers and host countries to suspend their cooperation with him.
"Mr. Ecclestone is driving the down the wrong way at full speed. His effusive praise for Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein is frightening and dangerous because it questions the basic principles of modern democracy," said Lauder. "These statements must be strongly condemned by team leaders and drivers of the Formula One circuit. Teams participating in the Formula One Series, and host countries, should suspend their cooperation with Mr. Ecclestone and call for his resignation."
In the interview published Saturday, 78-year-old Ecclestone had said, "In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done.
"In the end he got lost, so he wasn't a very good dictator because either he had all these things and knew what was going on and insisted, or he just went along with it . . . so either way he wasn't a dictator."
The head of the Canadian Jewish Congress said Sunday he was "astounded" at the comments of Ecclestone. Bernie Farber said Ecclestone should stick to what he knows best. "The man is an ignoramus," Farber said. "There's nobody today that would honestly pat Adolf Hitler on the back as being somebody worthy of any attention. Ecclestone's expertise is in cars, let him stick to pistons and engines."
Ecclestone is no stranger to controversial remarks. He once said women should dress in white "like all other domestic appliances."
In The Times interview, Ecclestone said that had been a joke, adding "I would love to have a good lady race driver and preferably black and Jewish too, but they might take maternity leave."
In a statement Sunday, Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said Ecclestone is not fit to serve as head of Formula One and called on teams, drivers and host countries to suspend their cooperation with him.
"Mr. Ecclestone is driving the down the wrong way at full speed. His effusive praise for Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein is frightening and dangerous because it questions the basic principles of modern democracy," said Lauder. "These statements must be strongly condemned by team leaders and drivers of the Formula One circuit. Teams participating in the Formula One Series, and host countries, should suspend their cooperation with Mr. Ecclestone and call for his resignation."
In the interview published Saturday, 78-year-old Ecclestone had said, "In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done.
"In the end he got lost, so he wasn't a very good dictator because either he had all these things and knew what was going on and insisted, or he just went along with it . . . so either way he wasn't a dictator."
The head of the Canadian Jewish Congress said Sunday he was "astounded" at the comments of Ecclestone. Bernie Farber said Ecclestone should stick to what he knows best. "The man is an ignoramus," Farber said. "There's nobody today that would honestly pat Adolf Hitler on the back as being somebody worthy of any attention. Ecclestone's expertise is in cars, let him stick to pistons and engines."
Ecclestone is no stranger to controversial remarks. He once said women should dress in white "like all other domestic appliances."
In The Times interview, Ecclestone said that had been a joke, adding "I would love to have a good lady race driver and preferably black and Jewish too, but they might take maternity leave."