SWC Statement on Yom Kippur Attack on Synagogue in Germany
Apparent neo-Nazi/far-right extremist thwarted in attempt to mass murder Jews at German synagogue, and murders two others.
The use of Nazi-related symbology is not a trivial matter, but rather politically motivated. The banalization of the Holocausthas been around for decades, but today serves as a pernicious tool of antisemitism.
PARIS – In a letter to Dr. Julian de Grahl, CEO of Spreadshirt - an international textile speed-printingcompany based in Leipzig, Germany - the Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, expressed “sickening outrage to see a Spreadshirt t-shirt with the yellow star- assimilating the anti-vaxxers to the Jewish victims of the Nazis - in rallies this week.”
Most ironic was, the apparent date of the t-shirts arrival on the market. 16 and 17 July mark commemoration of the 1942Vel d’hiv arrest for deportation from Paris to Auschwitz of 13,152 Jews - of which 4,115 children. Less than 100 adults survived.
The letter continued, “you are surely aware that Holocaust banalization is illegal in Germany and considered to be a form ofantisemitism... We acknowledge your belated removal of this product from your website and production line. Nevertheless, this is not the first time Spreadshirt and other speed-printing companieshave been abused in this manner.A similar case with Spreadshirt was denounced in May, while Vova Online was exposed by our Centre for its Hitler hoodies in December 2020.”
The Wiesenthal Centre is ready to work with Spreadshirt to identify such orders for refusal and the necessary follow-up... Otherexamples of such outrageous stickers that may be on the way to t-shirt status were provided to the company.
Samuels noted that, “The use of Nazi-related symbology is not a trivial matter, but rather politically motivated....”Thebanalization of the Holocaust has been around for decades and remains today a pernicious tool to revive antisemitism.”
The letter urged Spreadshirt "to adopt the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) Definition of antisemitism, endorsedby the European Union, its member-States, NGOs, sports clubs and companies, as a guide to better understand the parameters and promotion of hate and violence targeting the Jews.”
“Furthermore, to include a reference to the IHRA definition on your webpage, would effectively discourage attempts by somehatemongers to use Spreadshirt as a vector of discrimination,” concluded Samuels.
For further information contact Dr. Shimon Samuels at csweurope@gmail.com, join the Center on Facebook,or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agenciesincluding the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).