The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has condemned a re-tweeting of a post by CFMEU Victorian secretary John Setka comparing Prime Minister Turnbull to Hitler because of his government’s policy on unions.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chair of The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), issued the following statement:
“It has become far too frequent and common to use the Holocaust for sloganeering and to attack government policies. There is no place for it in our civil discourse. No Australian Prime Minister, current or former, should ever be compared to Hitler or to his regime and such conduct does an enormous disservice to history and is an insult to the memory of the six million Jewish victims, millions of other victims, Holocaust survivors and their families. It also devalues the bravery and sacrifices made by veterans during WWII to put an end to Hitler’ reign. I have consistently denounced the trivialisation and misappropriation of the Holocaust by public figures and have spoken out against the employment of such inflammatory equations. While John Setka is entitled to criticise the government’s trade union policy, it is outrageous to endorse a tweet that draws any links between Hitler’s genocidal regime and its evil actions and the Prime Minister. Suggesting that Mr Turnbull’s policy is something akin to Hitler’s Germany is historically inaccurate and grossly offensive, and poisons what is a serious debate that needs to be conducted in a thoughtful and civil way. Such outrageous and ignorant remarks further compound the diminishing of the Holocaust, and we urge John Setka to apologise and to refrain from employing such hurtful analogies in the future.”
B’nai B’rith 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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