A co-founder of the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion said the Holocaust was "like a regular event" and called it "just another fuckery in human history" in an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit.
"Fact of the matter is, millions of people have been killed in vicious circumstances on a regular basis throughout history," said the British Roger Hallam (53) in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit, which was published on Wednesday. He added that the Holocaust was "just another fuckery in human history" and that the Germans' attitude towards it is holding them back. His statements were immediately criticised in Germany.
He said that genocides have happened repeatedly over the past five centuries. "In fact, you might say it is like a regular event," he added. As an example, Hallam cited the Belgians, who "went to the Congo in the late 19th century and decimated it," he said.
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"The Holocaust is more than a million deaths and cruel torture methods. Industrial murder of Jews and the desire to exterminate them is uniquely inhumane. We must always be aware of this, so that we can say with certainty: never again!" said the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, Heiko Maas, on Twitter.
Der #Holocaust ist mehr als Millionen Tote und grausame Foltermethoden. Jüdinnen und Juden industriell zu ermorden und ausrotten zu wollen, ist einzigartig unmenschlich. Das muss uns immer bewusst sein, damit wir sicherstellen: nie wieder! #ExtinctionRebellion https://t.co/vBjkp68L6L
— Heiko Maas ?? (@HeikoMaas) November 20, 2019
Extinction Rebellion Germany distanced itself from Hallam and spoke of "trivialising and relativising statements about the Holocaust" and said Hallam is no longer welcome in the movement in Germany, reports Het Nieuwsblad.
Extinction Rebellion originated in Great Britain and has attracted (media) attention in many countries with protest actions for climate protection. Hallam, who lives in Wales, is the most famous face of the movement.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
