The ADC, Australia’s leading organisation fighting hatred in all its forms, has called for mandatory Holocaust education to be introduced following the revelations that a group of year 12 students at Sydney Church of England Grammar School unfurled a Nazi flag and gave the Heil Hitler salute.
Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“This inexcusable and hurtful incident will certainly shock the conscience of all good people. While we appreciate the school’s apology, disturbing and offensive acts such as these, by young adults who may be future leaders in the community, should not be taken lightly or dismissed as a prank. There is nothing funny, silly or playful about the brutal extermination of six million Jews and millions of others, and one wonders what motivated those young people to choose the universal symbol of hatred. We hope that school administrators seriously address the causes for this behaviour and take concrete actions to explain to the school body the odious and dangerous message conveyed in the display of the Nazi flag and the giving of the Heil Hitler. It is hard to express or to calculate the pain inflicted on Holocaust survivors and their families who may become aware of this deeply saddening episode. It is a timely reminder about the staggering lack of historical understanding about the evils of Hitler’s regime prevalent amongst teenagers, as well as the trivialisation of Nazis and anti-Semitism that often takes place in public discourse. At a time of a surge in anti-Semitism and bigotry, this incident clearly underscores the critical and urgent need for Holocaust education to be introduced in schools across the nation so students can learn its lessons and become ambassadors for our country’s core values and combat all forms of intolerance and racism.”
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.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677.