Laser projection of Anne Frank house ‘was despicable’, mayor says
Police were investigating text lasered onto the facade of the Anne Frank House earlier this week, which suggested the girl did not keep a diary. Parole Reported on Friday.
The footage, which took place on the night of February 6th, was part of a video aired on a far-right Telegram channel calling itself a “laser Nazi bunker.” A video Parole saw showed the angry reaction of people pointing in the direction of the text.
Wim Voermans, hoogleraar staats-en bestuursrecht in Leiden, en advocaat Herman Loonstein zien aanknopingspunten voor vervolging voor het projecteren van een tekst op het Anne Frankhuishttps://t.co/Paq0dIMkUD
— Het Parool (@parool) February 10, 2023
The text, which reads “Anne Frank, inventor of the ballpoint pen,” evokes a long-debunked conspiracy theory based on a page covered in ballpoint writing left in a diary by a researcher.
A spokesman for the Anne Frank Foundation said the case was a “hate crime” directed at Anne Frank, and that Anne Frank’s diary was “one of the most important testimonies of the persecution of Jews during World War II.” One,” he said.
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema has spoken out about the “cowardly and disgusting act” and said he hoped the perpetrators would be tracked down soon.
“The prediction refers to conspiracy theories about Holocaust denial,” she said. “This is a genuine act of anti-Semitism, an attack on Anne Frank’s legacy, an international symbol of the fight against anti-Semitism. It is painful for everyone who recognizes the consequences of speciesism and intolerance.
“The tribute to Anne Frank should not be disgraced by the abhorrent malice of extremists.”
“Trying to question the experiences of Holocaust witnesses is a despicable act,” said Eddo Verdoner, the campaign’s national coordinator to fight anti-Semitism. “The intention is to inflict direct wounds on those who survived the Holocaust. People return to these old tropes used in the current landscape.
The incident comes weeks after another extremist group projected white supremacist slogans onto Rotterdam’s Erasmus Bridge during New Year’s Eve celebrations. A group calling themselves White Lives Matter behind the projection at the time. Police are still investigating.
Amsterdam police told Dutch News they were investigating the latest case.
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/02/anti-semitic-laser-projection-on-anne-frank-house-despicable/ Laser projection of Anne Frank house ‘was despicable’, mayor says