Wiesenthal Center Warns About Banalization and Distortion of Nazi Speech

July 25, 2023

Buenos Aires - Club Atlas from México chose to quote Nazi Propaganda's Minister Joseph Goebbels in defense of a referee's decision during a recent soccer match. The unfortunate choice led to countless responses on social media that take the Nazi ideology which led to the Holocaust, out of context. Although the Club apologized to the Jewish community, [the apology] highlights the lack of understanding of the nature of the current problem of anti-Semitism in Latin America.

Dr. Ariel Gelblung, SWC Latin America Director: "Quotes or references to the murderous Nazi ideology should never be transferred to banal questions of modern daily life. This distorts the planned massacre of 6 million Jews and minimizes an anti-Semitic policy that caused the deaths of more than 50 million people in the world. The normalization of anti-Semitic Nazi speech has caused more non-Jewish victims than Jewish. Anti-Semitism is not a problem of the Jews but of the societies who host it. SWC condemns and warns of the dangers of distorting the Holocaust. The prevention, combat and punishment of these phenomena would be possible if Mexico joined the adoption of the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism.

For further information, please contact Dr. Ariel Gelblung at +54 9 11 49695365, 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 in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

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El Centro Wiesenthal Alerta Sobre la Banalización y Distorsión del Discurso Nazi