ADL: Rep. Steve Cohen’s Nazi analogy ‘offensive’ and has no place in civil discourse

New York, NY, January 19, 2011 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today reacted to a statement made by Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) on the floor of the House of Representatives in which he compared misinformation about health care reform to Nazi propaganda advanced by Joseph Goebbels and the blood libel propagated against the Jews.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

No matter how strong one’s objections to any policy or to the tactics of political opponents, invoking the Holocaust and the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish people is offensive and has no place in a civil political discourse.

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Using the Holocaust as an analogy to express frustration or comparing false information to the anti-Semitic blood libel or to Goebbels’ genocidal propaganda is inappropriate and serves only to trivialize the dangers of anti-Semitism and the unique tragedy in human history that saw the murder of six million Jews and millions of others.

We respect Representative Cohen’s right to engage in vigorous debate about health care policy. We hope he will reconsider his offensive statement and we urge all members of Congress to reject such odious comparisons.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.