November 1, 2016
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), Australia’s leading organisation fighting anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms, has welcomed the apology by Sony music for a Halloween concert of its popular Japanese girl band Keyakizaka46 in which the singers performed dressed in costumes that resembled the Nazi Waffen-SS uniforms. The band is represented by Sony Music. Yasuyuki Oshio, a Sony spokesperson, issued the following statement, “We express our heartfelt apology for causing offense … because of our lack of understanding. We take the incident seriously and will make efforts to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident in the future.”
ADC Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, issued the following statement:
“This is trivialization and cheapening of the Holocaust for shock value of the worst kind. Hitler’s genocidal and evil regime and its symbology should never become a gimmick or an opportunity to generate publicity and Sony Music did the right thing by recognising how profoundly painful this tasteless performance was to Holocaust survivors and their families. I welcome their apology, and now that this episode is behind us, hope that Sony Music will work in the pubic square to speak out against the dramatic rise in anti-Semitism, intolerance, and hatred. We also hope that they will support educational initiatives that teach this and future generations about the Nazis’ unprecedented crimes and about the importance of meaningfully and respectfully memorializing the Holocaust and its universal lessons. This distressing episode is a reminder that we all have to be mindful of the dangers of exploiting Nazi imagery and that the horrors of the Shoah must be approached with respect and sensitivity.”
The 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 0410 539 015
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