Ilmar Reepalu

Ilmar Reepalu (born 11 October 1943) is a Swedish Social Democratic politician of Estonian origin who was the 17th chairman of the municipal board in Malmö from 1994 to 2013.

After a professional life as an urban planner in Borås and Malmö, he became a municipal commissioner of Malmö in 1985. In opposition from 1985 to 1994, he then served as chairman of the municipal board – a position similar to that of mayor – from the 1994 election until his retirement on 1 July 2013.

During his term as chairman of the municipal board, Reepalu was lauded as being instrumental in the transformation of Malmö from an industrial town in decline towards being a centre of knowledge and modern architecture. He also was criticised strongly during his term for his reported alleged antisemitism for comments he made in which he associated attacks on Jews in Malmö with their alleged support for Israel. Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh succeeded him on the position on 1 July 2013 as the first woman to hold that office.

Controversy (alleged antisemitism)

In 2010, Malmö saw a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks, with 79 attacks reported by police, which was double the previous year's figures. The bulk of the filed incidences were harassment and threats, but they also included arson, vandalism of synagogues and arguably one case of violence. Swedish newspapers and political leaders as well as Israeli media criticised Ilmar Reepalu for denying the rise of antisemitism in Malmö.

In a 2010 interview, Reepalu stated: "We accept neither Zionism nor anti-Semitism. They are extremes that put themselves above other groups, and believe they have a lower value." During an interview with Al-Jazeerah, Reepalu criticised Malmö's Jewish community for its support for Israel, stating that "I would wish for the Jewish community to denounce Israeli violations against the civilian population in Gaza. Instead it decides to hold a [pro-Israeli] demonstration in the Grand Square [of Malmö], which could send the wrong signals." Jewish leaders responded that the demonstration Reepalu was referring to was "pro-peace rally" arranged by the Jewish Community in Malmö "which came under attack from members of a violent counter demonstration" and accused Reepalu of "suggesting that the violence directed towards us is our own fault simply because we didn’t speak out against Israel."

Reepalu subsequently stated that apart from at the infamous demonstration, there had not been any violent attacks on Jews in the city, by claiming to cite police figures. However, the same police figures show that hate crimes against Jews have doubled over the last year. In January, when asked to explain why Jewish religious services often require security guards and even police protection, Reepalu claimed that the violence directed toward Malmö’s Jewish community is from right-wing extremists, and not Muslims.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph in February 2010, Reepalu was again asked about reports that antisemitism in Malmö has increased to the point that some of its Jewish residents are (or are considering) moving to Israel. Reepalu again denied that there has been any violence directed at Jews in Malmö, stating that:

Reepalu added on Danish television that the criticism against his statement was the work of the "Israel lobby".

The then-leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Mona Sahlin, described Reepalu's comments as "unfortunate".

Reepalu responded to this controversy by stating in an interview with Haaretz that "I've never been an anti-Semite and never will be."

Hannah Rosenthal, the then U.S. Special Envoy of the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, said that Reepalu had made "anti-Semitic statements" and that Malmö under Reepalu represented a "prime example" of "new anti-Semitism", where anti-Israel sentiment serves as a thin guise for Jew-hatred.

Jehoshua Kaufman, who organises Malmö's "kippah walks" expressed mixed feelings for Reepalu, stating that "Reepalu transformed the city from a port town to a post-industrial place with a lot of enterprise" but added that "From the outside, he will probably be known as the mayor who was accused of anti-Semitism. It is a little unfair if that is all he is remembered for, but at the same time he only has himself to blame."

Reepalu has said that he would love to participate in a kippah walk to show his support for the Jews in Malmö. In the same statement, he also said that "antisemitism is an abomination" and that Jews in Malmö have nothing to do with Israel's actions and should not be called to account for that.

Awards and honours Reepalu was named one of 25 finalists for the World Mayor 2010 prize in October 2010. His nomination was criticised by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who stated that Reepalu should have been removed from contention "due to what he has said and done to the Jews of Malmö". The prize was ultimately given to Marcelo Ebrard of Mexico City.