Auschwitz Museum slams 'hurtful and offensive' TikTok Holocaust trend
The Auschwitz museum has joined a chorus of criticism against a new TikTok Holocaust trend, calling it "hurtful and offensive".
The recent trend has seen users of the video-sharing app role-playing as Holocaust victims and recounting how they died.
The short clips show some young people donning fake bruises, striped clothing or a Star of David armband, which Jews were ordered to wear by the Nazis.
A furious backlash quickly erupted with a raft of social media users branding the videos "trauma porn".
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The 'victims' trend on TikTok can be hurtful & offensive. Some videos are dangerously close or already beyond the border of trivialization of history.
But we should discuss this not to shame & attack young people whose motivation seem very diverse. It's an educational challenge. pic.twitter.com/CB4Ve2uRUK— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum)
Now the Auschwitz Memorial has condemned the trend in a Twitter post, but it also warned against shaming young people involved.
The museum shared a longer statement with the caption: “The ‘victims’ trend on TikTok can be hurtful & offensive. Some videos are dangerously close or already beyond the border of trivialization of history.
“Some were not created to commemorate anyone, but to become part of an online trend. This is very painful."
“But we should discuss this, not to shame & attack young people whose motivation seem very diverse,” it added.
The Holocaust saw the genocide of six million European Jews.
Around one million people were killed at Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945, including more than 100,000 non-Jews, according to the museum.
And many people on Twitter criticised the new TikTok trend as "trivialising history".
One user wrote: "This is really disturbing. Not only does it trivialise History, but totally dishonours the memory of the Holocaust and lived experiences of real people.
"Trends like this serve to reduce knowledge of why and how Jews were persecuted. Honestly baffled ..."
Another wrote: "Jewish suffering in the Holocaust is not a joke" before adding that the trend is "disgusting and beyond disrespectful".
"This is why we must keep educating people on the Holocaust."
A third user said: "People are pretending to be Holocaust victims in a new and disturbing TikTok trend. This is so disrespectful, what is wrong with people to think that this is okay?"
But some users mirrored the Auschwitz Memorial's warning about vilifying the young people who posted the videos.
One said: "Many are hurt by this trend but I’m concerned for the young people who posted these videos who are now shamed and vilified. #edutwitter how to balance our responsibility for #Holocaust memory with our duty of care to those negotiating its meaning?"
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