The Auschwitz Memorial, which commemorates those killed in the Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during WWII, has respectfully urged TikTok users to stop cosplaying as victims of the Holocaust.
A number of recent posts on the platform show young users impersonating Holocaust victims, using black-and-white filters, striped clothing, and stark makeup to simulate imagery from the camps.
Some users have also fabricated Star of David patches, designed to emulate the patches worn by Jewish people interned by Nazi Germany.
It is estimated that six million Jewish people were killed by the Nazis in concentration camps, and 1.1 million men, women, and children lost their lives at Auschwitz-Birkenau alone.
Some of the TikToks appear to be a sincere attempt to draw attention to the Holocaust among young people. Speaking to Insider about the clips, a 17-year-old video creator, who asked not to be named, said her attempt at the trend was intended to “educate people” about the camps.
However, the Auschwitz Memorial says there’s a time and a place to recognise the horrors of the Holocaust – and selfie-style videos, where folks impersonate victims, aren’t the best way to do it.
“It is crucial to share the individual stories to commemorate and educate,” the Memorial said in a statement on Thursday.
“It’s also important to place the stories within the context of accuracy and respect.”
Creating videos where users “put people in a victim’s position” is inappropriate, the Memorial added.
The organisation described some of the clips as “hurtful” and “offensive”, but also called on other users not to vilify young video creators trying to find “some way of expressing personal memory.”
Tellingly, the Memorial pointed to other social media trends it believes are more pressing concerns, like algorithms “promoting antisemitism and Holocaust denial”.
You can read the full statement below.
https://twitter.com/AuschwitzMuseum/status/1298625376084807680
