New York, New York, June 21, 1999 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned a song by the rap group Public Enemy, labeling the title offensive and the lyrics suggestive of age-old anti-Semitic themes and rhetoric.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, said "Swindlers Lust," the final track on Public Enemy’s newly released album, There’s a Poison Goin On, "contains anti-Semitic overtones and veiled references to the Holocaust."

In a letter to Al Teller, Chief Executive Officer of Atomic Pop Records, Mr. Foxman said: "The lyrics contain classic anti-Semitic code words and seem to blame Jews for the plight of financially underprivileged Blacks. Given Public Enemy’s history of derogatory remarks about Jews, we are concerned that some of Public Enemy’s impressionable young listeners will hear that message.

Mr. Foxman issued the following statement:

"It is outrageous that Public Enemy has chosen to denigrate the memory of one of the Holocaust’s legendary heroes, Otto Schindler, by lampooning his name and the movie "Schindler’s List" in a profanity-laced diatribe about how rap singers feel cheated out of their profits. One lyric in particular – `More dollars, more cents for the big six/Another million claiming they innocence’ – implicitly evokes the Holocaust.

"This is the kind of racist language that has been previously used in the Black community by Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. If rap music in any way reflects the impressions of the larger community, then the themes expressed by this song are indeed troubling. We have seen this specter arise before with Public Enemy, which despite public criticism has continued to incite hate and racial divisiveness through its caustic and bigoted lyrics."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.