Israel and Nazi comparisons are shameful, says charity
The Independent|May 05, 2024
Holocaust Education Trust chief executive Karen Pollock has unleashed a furious attack on the way some pro-Palestinian protesters are comparing the Nazis to modern-day Israel.
DAVID MADDOX
Israel and Nazi comparisons are shameful, says charity

Ahead of commemorations of the horrific crimes by the Nazis, which saw the mass murder of 6 million Jews, Ms Pollock has warned that modern-day protests on a range of issues, including Gaza, are "trivialising" the Holocaust.

"The Nazis, their leaders and their symbols have become almost synonymous for ultimate evil," she wrote in an article for the Jewish News. "Online, we see this result in the phenomenon of Godwin's law: the idea that the longer an online discussion continues, the more likely it is that someone stresses their point by using a comparison to the Nazis. However, what may have begun as an online phenomenon has now truly cemented itself into the real world.

"Whether individuals donning a yellow star to protest pandemic restrictions or environmental groups using Holocaust-related language to warn against inaction on climate change - it seems that the only way you can make your point heard is by trivialising the murder of the 6 million. It is hurtful, it is wrong, and it is an insult to victims and to the survivors who see the Holocaust being deliberately used and misused."

This story is from the May 05, 2024 edition of The Independent.

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This story is from the May 05, 2024 edition of The Independent.

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