The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), Australia’s leading organisation combatting anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms, has said that Bernie Eccleston’s affirmation of an earlier comment that Hitler was a man who “got the job done” was deeply troubling and offensive, and called on him to apologise. In a press conference in London, Ecclestone was given an opportunity to repudiate his 2009 remarks about Hitler. After stating that his comments were taken out of context, the Formula One boss repeated his claim that the Nazi leader was a man who “got the job done”.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chair of The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, issued the following statement:
“Bernie Ecclestone’s comment is deeply shocking, and is an affront to the memory of Hitler’s victims, to the survivors, and to those who fought valiantly to defeat this demonic tyrant. For the head of Formula One, one of the most visible and popular sports in the world, to profess any kind of admiration for Hitler is horrendous and demonstrates a profound failure to understand the horrors of the Holocaust. I wonder, what “job” is Mr Ecclestone referring to? Is the near annihilation of European Jewry? Is it the Nuremberg Laws? The Nazi death camps like Auschwitz where more than 1.1 million men, children and women were murdered? Is it the mobile killing units? The ghettos? The devastation of Europe? It’s disturbing that Mr Ecclestone does not seem to know or grasp that Hitler was the embodiment of incomparable evil, a brutal dictator responsible for the systematic murder of six million Jews and millions of others. Such hurtful statements do a great disservice to history, and underscore the need for mandatory Holocaust education in every country so as to ensure that the next generation of leaders, and the public, have a better understanding of the true legacy of the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler’s crimes against humanity. We urge Mr Ecclesone to reconsider his insensitive remarks, and to withdraw them immediately. The ADC would be pleased to offer its assistance in organising a visit for Mr. Ecclesone to the Holocaust Museum next time he is in Melbourne so he can meet with survivors and to familiarise himself with that dark period in our history.”
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677
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