Auschwitz Museum slams TikTok's 'Holocaust' trend; calls it 'hurtful & offensive'

Chinese video-sharing app TikTok finds itself in middle of ar controversy after Auschwitz museum called a new trend, where users of video-sharing app role-play as Holocaust victims, “hurtful and offensive”.  According to media reports, participants of trend are recording short videos telling ir made-up stories of how y survived Holocaust.

'It is an educational challenge'

memorial site, located at former Nazi death camp in Poland, slammed  so-called point-of-view videos. “ ‘victims’ trend on TikTok can be hurtful & offensive. Some videos are dangerously close or already beyond border of trivialization of history,” Auschwitz Memorial said in a tweet. Auschwitz Memorial also urged observers, t to “attack” or “shame” teenrs involved.

While some of videos were created by TikTok users in order to be part of a trend rar than to commemorate victims, ors seem to be a way of expressing personal memory, statement said. "We have to be very careful in this discussion because langu used — also very often in social media — seems to carry lots of emotions, sometimes very strong," reads statement. Social media is "part of our everyday lives and communication," statement continued adding that respect should be given to victims.

TikTok official responds

"Educators should work with young people to present facts and stories but also teach and discuss how to commemorate in a meaningful and respectful way," it said.

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Meanwhile, a TikTok official told Post Thursday that it has been redirecting searches for videos, which users were posting with hashtag #holocaustchallenge. “We do t condone content like this and are redirecting searches for it to our Community Guidelines to furr educate users about our policies and supportive, inclusive community we are working to foster on TikTok,” a spokesman for company said.

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Holocaust saw gecide of six million European Jews people and more than a million people were killed at Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945.

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(With ncy inputs)