Hitler poem stirs controversy

LONDON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A poem on Adolf Hitler written by a 14-year-old schoolboy in Britain has stirred up a controversy that may require government intervention.

The poem written from the viewpoint of Hitler includes the lines: "Jews are here, Jews are there, Jews are almost everywhere, filling up the darkest places, evil looks upon their faces," The Times of London reports.

The poem appears in Great Minds, a publication of the Forward Press group, which promotes poetry and creative writing. The book was distributed free to schools in Britain, says the report.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly is coming under increasing pressure to intervene in the case.

A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said the board is anxious to discuss the poem with the publishers. The student who wrote the poem said he was not trying to be racist in any shape or form.

"I did not mean to offend anybody by writing this poem and I am not a racist person," he said.