Press Release: New Social Media Campaign “#FACTSMATTER. Defend Truth, Defeat Distortion” Combats Holocaust Denial and Distortion

3. July 2024: Holocaust denial and distortion continue to be a widespread threat to Jewish life and European democratic values transcending national borders. A new social media campaign by ENMA – the European Network on Monitoring Antisemitism – seeks to raise awareness of contemporary forms of Holocaust denial and distortion and counter harmful antisemitic misconceptions. The campaign is based on transnational data on antisemitic incidents recorded by ENMA member organisations.

 

Download the press-release here.

 

Addressing Holocaust Denial and Distortion

“From the COVID-19 pandemic to the events of October 7th, Holocaust denial and distortion remain a dangerous and multifaceted narrative in antisemitic responses across borders”, Benjamin Steinitz, Executive Director of Bundesverband RIAS, states. A survey by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency reveals, that 62% of Jews have witnessed Holocaust distortion, including claims that the Holocaust is a myth or exaggerated. Katharina von Schnurbein, the EU Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish Life, emphasizes that “Holocaust denial and distortion erodes public memory and our democratic culture and is often used to incite hate against Jews.”

Promoting Knowledge and Combating Misinformation

ENMA coherently documents and illuminates antisemitic narratives of Holocaust denial and distortion on a transnational level. The campaign aims to combat misinformation, as Gadi Luzzatto, Managing Director of Fondazione CDEC, highlights: “By promoting historical knowledge and fact-checking – also in Italy – we hope to enrich cultural understanding and spark meaningful conversations within society.” The campaign uses documented antisemitic incidents from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Poland to address common misconceptions surrounding the Holocaust. With its unique European perspective, the campaign seeks to “raise awareness about antisemitic narratives of Holocaust denial and distortion on a transnational level,” Benjamin Steinitz emphasises.

Upholding Historical Accuracy and Future Awareness

The campaign comes at a crucial time, in which historical analogies of the Holocaust flourish. Dina Porat, historian and member of the ENMA Advisory Expert Board, points out that since October 7th massacre by Hamas and the outbreak of the war in Gaza, “we have witnessed constant comparisons of these events to the Holocaust” and urges sustaining a clear distinction “for the sake of historical accuracy and future facts-based awareness.“ The campaign promotes sensitivity to the Holocaust in public memory as Rüdiger Mahlo, representative of the Claims Conference in Europe, notes: “The posts in this campaign bring awareness to the unspoken layers of meaning of Holocaust distortion and denial.”

 

To find out more about the project visit enma.eu/factsmatter and follow the campaign on social media instagram.com/enma.eu

For inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us at contact@enma.eu.

 

Statements

 

Benjamin Steinitz, Executive Director of Bundesverband RIAS:

“From the COVID-19 pandemic to the events of October 7th, Holocaust denial and distortion remain a dangerous and multifaceted narrative in antisemitic responses across borders. They are an integral part of contemporary antisemitic expressions from various political backgrounds. These narratives not only mislead and disinform but are also used to justify violence against Jews and Jewish institutions across Europe. ENMA therefore aims to coherently document and raise awareness about antisemitic narratives of Holocaust denial and distortion on a transnational level. Our social media campaign is especially important to challenge antisemitism, raise awareness, and combat harmful misconceptions.”

 

Gadi Luzzatto, Executive Director of Fondazione CDEC:

“The genocide of the Jewish population in Europe was a significant historical event that should not be taken lightly. Our new campaign is aimed at combating the distortion of facts and the decline in language quality, particularly in political discourse. By promoting historical knowledge and fact-checking also in Italy, we hope to enrich cultural understanding and spark meaningful conversations within society.”

 

Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life:

“The latest Survey by the Fundamental Rights Agency shows that 62% of Jews have at times witnessed Holocaust distortion from non-Jews, who claim that the Holocaust is either a myth or has been exaggerated. Holocaust denial and distortion erodes public memory and our dem-ocratic culture, and is often used to incite hate against Jews. The EU is built on the ashes of the Holocaust and it is essential to remember this legacy. The internet is the entry door num-ber one for antisemitism and hatred into our living room. Therefore I very much welcome the ENMA social media campaign on Holocaust distortion and denial.”

 

Rüdiger Mahlo, representative of the Claims Conference in Europe:

“With this campaign, ENMA spells out what Holocaust denial and distortion does to Holocaust survivors, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The posts in this campaign bring awareness to the unspoken layers of meaning of Holocaust distortion and denial. This campaign is an educational campaign in the best sense of the word. It is sorely needed, be-cause in the tide of opinions and disinformation these days, many people are losing their ori-entation and no longer recognize hatred of Jews for what it is.”

 

Dina Porat, Historian and Member of the ENMA Advisory Expert Board:

“Since the terrible events of the October 7th massacre by Hamas and the following outbreak of the war in Gaza, we have witnessed constant comparisons of these events to the Holocaust. Etched in collective memory, the Holocaust evokes a range of associations of Jews and non-Jews alike. Yet a clear distinction should be emphatically made between them and the Holocaust as it was – unique and unprecedented – for the sake of historical accuracy and future facts-based awareness.”

 

The project #FACTSMATTER. Defend Truth, Defeat Distortion is funded