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A parliamentary candidate in Canada who apologised after making a phallic joke about Auschwitz in a Facebook post reportedly admitted she had no idea what the concentration camp was.
Alex Johnstone, the NDP candidate for Hamilton, issued an apology on Facebook on Tuesday after a comment she left on a friend’s photo in 2008 was unearthed by the website True North Times.
Underneath a friend’s picture of the gates to the concentration camp where over one million died at the hands of the Nazi regime, she wrote: “Ahh, the infamous Pollish, phallic hydro posts….of course you took pictures of this! It expresses the how the curve is normal, natural and healthy right!”
Ms Johnstone, who is also Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board vice-chair, removed the post and apologised on Facebook, writing: “While never intending any malice, this comment was clearly inappropriate. I would like to offer my unreserved apology for this comment."
Ms Johnstone was then interviewed by the Hamilton Spectator later that day about her comments. During this interview, she reportedly said she had “heard about concentration camps” but did not know what Auschwitz was until her post was highlighted that day.
This admission that she was apparently unaware of the massacre that took place at the concentration camp prompted a fresh wave of outrage and concerns about her knowledge of the Holocaust as a vice-chair of a public school board.
Ms Johnstone has since addressed the controversy in a joint statement with her team and Michael Mostyn, the CEO of the Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada.
“The comments I made were clearly inappropriate and I never intended any malice in making them,” Ms Johnstone said in a second Facebook post on Thursday.
“Regardless of what happens this election, I have reached out to B’nai Brith and personally pledged to work with their experts to raise awareness about the ever increasing need to combat racism, discrimination and antisemitism.
“I intend to continue to learn about the Holocaust and speak out against hate in all its forms.”
Mr Mostyn said he had met with Ms Johnstone and had a “meaningful conversation” about her comments on Facebook.
“We feel that she truly appreciates why her Facebook comments were inappropriate,” he said.
“Going forward, we will be working closely with Alex to answer any questions she may have in order to meet our shared goal of combatting racism, antisemitism and discrimination in Canada.”
The Independent has contacted Ms Johnstone for comment.
