By Whoopi Goldberg suspended over Holocaust remarks
Whoopi Goldberg has faced a wave of criticism and suspension after the Holocaust remarks she made on ABC’s The View.
ABC News suspended the actress and TV personality for two weeks following her ‘wrong and hurtful comments’.
Whoopi Goldberg claimed that the Holocaust involved ‘two groups of white people’ and was ‘not about race, but about man’s inhumanity to man’.
Many Jewish organisations and communities were outraged by the comments which they claim were harmful and offensive.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote online: “The Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systemic annihilation of the Jewish people — who they deemed to be an inferior race.
“They dehumanized them and used their racist propaganda to justify slaughtering 6 million Jews. Holocaust distortion is dangerous.”
Whoopi Goldberg attempted to clarify her comments about the Holocaust on Monday night by saying that the Nazis had lied and that they had issues with ethnicity, not race, but this only caused further offence.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, following the incidents on Monday 31 January and Tuesday 1 February, ABC News president Kim Godwin said: “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments.
“While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments.
“The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.”
She added: “These decisions are never easy, but necessary.
“Just last week I noted that the culture at ABC News is one that is driven, kind, inclusive, respectful, and transparent.
“Whoopi’s comments do not align with those values.”
Whoopi Goldberg proceeded to apologise on social media for her Holocaust remarks before making an appearance on The View.
On the show, she said: “So yesterday on our show, I misspoke.
“I said that the Holocaust wasn’t about race and it was instead about man’s inhumanity to man.
“But it is indeed about race, because Hitler and the Nazis considered the Jews to be an inferior race.
“Now, words matter and mine are no exception.
“I regret my comments as I said and I stand corrected.
“I also stand with the Jewish people, as they know, and as you all know because I’ve always done that.”
(Image: David Shankbone)
Contact Gi National
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk
