The Holocaust Foundation strongly objects to Dr Rawiri Taonui’s recent
statements concerning Hitler and his gross misrepresentation of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict.
On 4 April 2023 Dr Taonui tweeted:
“Hitler exercised an unfettered right to free speech and look where that ended”
This is a significant misrepresentation of one the best-documented periods in world
history. Censorship and suppression of free speech were central components of the
Hitler’s strategy. The Nazis took office in 1933 and it soon became illegal to speak
against the government. Dissenters were often persecuted and imprisoned.
Goebbels’ use of propaganda, control of media and silencing of dissent were
central to the advancement of the Nazi cause.
On 13 April 2023 Dr Taonui tweeted:
“The anti-Semitic persecution of the Jewish people and the equal & opposite suppression
of the Palestinian people are among the saddest cases of genocide over the last 100
years.”
It is a straightforward falsehood to suggest that Israel has committed genocide
against the Palestinians. In addition, this is a profoundly cynical use of the
Holocaust for political ends.
Dr Taonui has engaged in what renowned Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt has
called soft-core Holocaust denial. By the standards of International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance, in which NZ holds observer status, Dr Taonui’s comments
are antisemitic. His conduct is unbecoming of a member of the National Anti-Racism Taskforce.
