‘Disgusting’ and ‘offensive’: Anti-vaxxers under fire for use of Holocaust symbols at protests
A Holocaust museum has joined the chorus of criticism against the anti-vaccination movement, after pictures from protest rallies posted online show activists wearing yellow Star of David badges to symbolize their persecution.
The Poland-based Auschwitz Memorial museum slammed the movement after pictures on Twitter showed anti-vaccination media personality Del Bigtree, with a yellow star on his chest during a recent Vaccine Choice demonstration in Texas.
“Instrumentalizing the fate of Jews who were persecuted by hateful anti-Semitic ideology and murdered in extermination camps like #Auschwitz with poisonous gas in order to argue against vaccination that saves human lives is a symptom of intellectual and moral degeneration,” the museum said.
Instrumentalizing the fate of Jews who were persecuted by hateful antisemitic ideology and murdered in extermination camps like #Auschwitz with poisonous gas in order to argue against vaccination that saves human lives is a symptom of intellectual and moral degeneration.
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) March 29, 2019
The demonstration was one of several to take place across the US, prompted by an emergency ban of unvaccinated children from public spaces in Rockland County, New York on March 27, following a measles outbreak.
Also on rt.com New York county bars unvaccinated minors from public places amid measles outbreakOne protester in Rockland County wore a yellow star with “No Vax” written across it on her backpack.
“This is a strategic attack on religion,” she was reported saying by a local media.
She continued: “The first step is fear of the Jews. The second step is violence. The last step is the gas chamber.”
However, the stunt has gained much criticism for the anti-vaxxer movement from social media commentators.
“Jewish Twitter: Have you seen how the anti-vaccine lobby exploits Holocaust imagery?” asked one user. “It’s disgusting, hateful, & deeply offensive.”
Jewish Twitter: Have you seen how the anti-vaccine lobby exploits Holocaust imagery? It’s disgusting, hateful, & deeply offensive. https://t.co/DKRln7RiBY@TheRaDR@RabbiEvePosen@rabbiandygordon@bungarsargon#antisemitism#neveragain
— Nadine Gartner (@pdxnadine) March 31, 2019
Other accused anti-vaxxers of belittling the Holocaust.
Despicable. These days, anti-vaxxers aren’t just spreading disease—they’re also belittling the Holocaust. For the love of humanity, take off those yellow stars. Nobody is herding you into fenced-off camps. You are the victims of only your own willful ignorance.
— Kath Barnes (@KathBarnes86) April 1, 2019
The "argument" made by anti-vaxxers that mandatory childhood vaccinations are equivalent to violating the Nuremberg codes isn't merely cretinous; it's a kind of stupidity that would cause most people to suffer severe whiplash at the violent head-shaking it generates.
— Chris Krolczyk (@ChiArchfiend) March 30, 2019
I recently noticed a number of far right Facebook profiles posting this Jewish star with the phrase “no vax.” Good this is being called out. This is an incredibly insensitive and absurd conflation of issues. https://t.co/VlLmouTUan
— Riana Goren (@rianagoren) March 31, 2019
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