The ADC, Australia’s leading organisation fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred, has criticised indigenous author and NRL player Joe Williams for comparing Australia Day to the Nazi extermination of the Jews in the Holocaust. In an interview in The Australian on January 27, 2018 the indigenous Australian, and author of Defying the Enemy Within said: “We will not move forward until Australia owns up to the truth of the past.” In a follow up question, “How does that connect with January 26 being Australia Day?” he responded:
“How many Jews celebrate Hitler day? People say, “You Aboriginals want everything”; we say, “No, we just want to celebrate a national day with you. Not one that marks a massacre…”
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“We are all entitled to express strong opinions about major national issues. But with this thoughtless and deeply offensive remark, Joe Williams has coarsened and poisoned this important debate, which demands civility and respect. His hurtful question: “How many Jews Celebrate Hitler Day?” Is beyond the pale, and is a slap in the face to the six million Jews that were brutally murdered by the Nazis, the brave survivors and their families and all Jews. When will public figures understand that cheapening and appropriating the darkest chapter in human history in order to promote a cause is wholly inappropriate. There is no equivalence or comparison between Australia Day and the unprecedented tragedy of the Holocaust, and invoking it in this important conversation is simply unacceptable. Australians celebrating January 26th are not celebrating the ‘Final Solution’, or the terrifying death camps, or the gas chambers of Auschwitz, where 1.5 million people were systematically slaughtered. During a month when the world pauses to mourn and commemorate the horrific events of the Nazi Holocaust and the millions of its victims, this outrageous analogy not only trivialises their memory and does a disservice to the historical record, but is also is an insult to those diggers who fought valiantly to defeat the Third Reich. We call on Mr Williams to apologise and to refrain from exploiting the Holocaust so as to make his point.”
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading civil rights organization fighting racism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
Media enquiries: Dr Dvir Abramovich on 9272 5677