If there’s one thing that people need a reminder of about what we learned after WW2, it’s that war is bad and genocides are worse. That’s why the Holocaust Museum LA in California posted a message on Instagram saying “never again” to genocide. Still, even something as seemingly harmless as it was at first actually offended some people, and the Holocaust Museum’s LA anti-genocide Instagram post was taken down quickly, but not before sparking online outrage.
The now-deleted post, which went online on Saturday, specifically stated, “Never again can’t only mean never again for Jews”. It’s worth noting that “never again” is widely acknowledged as a slogan for Holocaust remembrance and also a reminder of why genocides are bad. Initially, Holocaust Museum LA’s Instagram post was praised; however, it later became flooded with complaints, most notably accusing Holocaust Museum LA of siding with Gaza in the ongoing Israel-Gaza War.
That’s because some United Nations critics have described Israel’s aggression against Gaza as a genocide. It appears the backlash had grown so severe that the Holocaust Museum LA had to delete or take down the “never again” post. They then followed it up with a public apology, stating that they’ll be more careful with their posts next time in regards to those that promote inclusivity and community.
“We recently posted an item on social media that was part of a pre-planned social media campaign intended to promote inclusivity and community that was easily open to misinterpretation by some to be a political statement reflecting the ongoing situation in the Middle East. That was not our intent… We promise to do better and we will ensure that posts in the future are more thoughtfully designed and thoroughly vetted,” aaccording to Holocaust Museum LA
The Instagram page has turned off the comment section for the follow-up apology post, so it’s not initially clear what the reception to it was. Still, people who wanted to criticize the Holocaust Museum LA’s retraction of the “never again” post ended up commenting on other older posts instead, voicing their concerns about the varying degrees of censorship.
People online have since mocked the museum’s retraction
Instagram users who liked the initial “never again” post from Holocaust Museum LA have begun flooding the account’s older and pinned posts with the same “never again” message, citing that it shouldn’t be just for Jews. Some have also criticized the Holocaust Museum LA for backing down against extremism.
“‘Never again’ cannot be a conditional statement,” argues an Instagram user
“‘extremists’ just got you to take down your latest post….”
“Never again means never again for anyone!”
For the record, the Holocaust Museum LA is still closed and under construction until 2026. It’s not clear whether people will still remember this online incident once the museum has opened up. In other online threads, however, it seems Zionists came under blame for causing the “never again” censorship, and people have brought up just how ridiculous it is to be selective regarding who commits genocides, since the Holocaust Museum LA retracted its blanket stance for all genocides.
“‘Never again for some, occasionally again for others’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it though,” according to a Reddit user
“Because some genocide is OK? Seems kind of harsh.”
“‘Holocausts are okay sometimes, actually'”
