Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins crossed a line with his video message from Auschwitz, filmed during his visit back in May and released on Saturday. The U.S. Representative filmed a selfie-style message from a gas chamber in the former concentration camp, using the somber setting to make some point about Homeland Security and the need for a stronger United States. It was definitely a stunt that would give Higgins the type of visibility he seemed to crave as a small town sheriff, but it quickly backfired and made the congressman look foolish.
Following a strong and simple reply from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, criticizing the video, Higgins has released an apology and retracted the video from his Facebook page:
“I filmed the Auschwitz message with great humility. My intent was to offer a reverent homage to those who were murdered in Auschwitz and to remind the world that evil exists, that free nations must remember, and stand strong.
However, my message has caused pain to some whom I love and respect. For that, my own heart feels sorrow. Out of respect to any who may feel that my video posting was wrong or caused pain, I have retracted my video.
The atrocities that happened at Auschwitz were truly despicable, and we must never let history repeat itself in such a way. I have always stood with Israel and all Jewish people, and I always will. We live in a dangerous world, and massive forces of evil do indeed yet exist. We must all stand united against those evils. My Auschwitz video has been removed, and my sincere apology for any unintended pain is extended.”
The video itself has not gone away, of course. Many ripped and uploaded the video on other services, including the copy above posted by NOLA.com on their YouTube page.
(Via The Guardian)