DENVER, CO, January 27, 2021 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Mountain States Region is concerned about postcards sent to members of the Boulder City Council comparing them to Nazis and the “gassing” of prairie dogs to the extermination of Jews during the Holocaust, as well as a conversation reportedly among council members where one council member allegedly supported the analogies.
ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin issued the following statement:
It is troubling that council members would be compared to Nazis for considering prairie dog control and for a council member reportedly to agree that potential control efforts are anything like the murder of Jews during the Holocaust.
The Holocaust will be forever remembered as one of the most horrific events of the 20th century. The murder of six million Jews and millions of others carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators was the largest recorded genocide in modern history. There is simply no equivalent event, historical or current, that compares with it. Inaccurate analogies cheapen the memory of millions killed by the Nazis. They also diminish society’s ability to effectively address the actual substance of the problem being discussed.
We ask community members and elected officials to avoid using Holocaust and Nazi analogies and to consider the impact those analogies have on community members, particularly those who have family members who were murdered by the Nazis.
Today, January 27th, is designated by the United Nations as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The commemoration recalls the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. On this day, people around the world listen to stories from Holocaust survivors to learn more about the events that led to World War II and to honor the memories of those lost. More information and resources at www.adl.org.
###
ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. ADL’s Mountain States Region covers Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. More at https://mountainstates.adl.org/.