“Rep. Higgins’ filming and release of this video is as disgraceful as it is ignorant. The comments he made in this video follow his long history of violent and dangerous rhetoric against Muslims in the United States and around the world, including urging likeminded individuals to “kill them all.” As a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, Higgins either failed to see, or disturbingly chose to ignore, the twisted irony of claiming the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis as justification for Trump’s radical anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant agenda. In case we need to spell it out for him: The Nazis’ reign of terror started by scapegoating, demonizing, and encouraging violence against minorities in their midst. And that, Mr. Higgins, is what you are doing now. If you are truly moved by your visit to Auschwitz, you should cease supporting Trump’s extreme agenda.

Beyond the disrespect of using the solemn ground of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial as a political prop, Higgins’ words demonstrate a complete lack of understanding about what the Nazis represented and the lessons we must learn from that terrible time. We call on Higgins to apologize immediately for his completely inappropriate behavior in creating this video in a space designated for silent reflection. The sacred memory of the victims of Auschwitz-Birkenau demands nothing less.”

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