Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose dad was Nazi soldier, slammed for signing catchphrase in Auschwitz guestbook
After putting a ‘Terminator’ statement in an Auschwitz visitor book while touring the concentration camp, Arnold Schwarzenegger caused controversy on Twitter. Interestingly, Schwarzenegger shared at the event "I was the son of a man that fought in the Nazi war, he was a soldier." The former actor has been open that his father, Gustav, was a soldier during the war.
Upon receiving recognition for his work against racism and anti-Semitism, Arnold visited the camp with the Auschwitz Jewish Centre Foundation. The 75-year-old pledged to "terminate hate" with the anti-racism organization. "I am witness to the ruins of a country broken by the Nazis. I saw firsthand how this hatred spun out of control and I share these painful memories with the world in the hopes of preventing future tragedies and educating soldiers about personal responsibility. I stand with the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation and their mission of education to ensure NEVER AGAIN,” Arnold said about his visit as reported by The Sun.
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This visit was planned to be relatively short. The inscription was meant to be a promise to return for another and more indepth visit.
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) September 28, 2022
In the visitor book, Schwarzenegger wrote, "I'll be back," concluding his tour, and the museum's official Twitter account posted a picture of it online. The Hollywood legend's message swiftly sparked debate as one of the users wrote, “Not sure the tone of that was entirely suitable.” Another user added, “If my father was a Nazi I’d have written something more poignant, just saying.”
One user wrote, “I'm glad he visited and wrote in the book but I had to think twice about the message. I'm sure he meant it in the nicest possible way and having been there I know its hard to find the right words but I'm not sure these were the best.” To which the Auschwitz Memorial replied, “It was a visit that was very short. He wrote it as a promise to return for a longer visit.” Supporting Arnold’s words, one user sided with him by saying, “It's so sad to see so many hate on him for this. He obviously means he will come back to the site in the future. Yikes.”
Schwarzenegger was defended by the Auschwitz museum, which also made an effort to explain his remark. "This visit was planned to be relatively short. The inscription was meant to be a promise to return for another and more in-depth visit," they wrote.
If my father was a Nazi I’d have written something more poignant, just saying.
— Kathryn Singh (@KathrynSingh) September 28, 2022
I'm glad he visited and wrote in the book but I had to think twice about the message. I'm sure he meant it in the nicest possible way and having been there I know its hard to find the right words but I'm not sure these were the best
— 𝐿𝑒𝑒🥂🥰🤕👩❤️👨🐧🌵🇦🇺🐶🐕 (@LeeLeaLeeLea) September 28, 2022
It was a visit that was very short. He wrote it as a promise to return for a longer visit.
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) September 28, 2022
It's so sad to see so many hate on him for this. He obviously means he will come back to the site in the future. Yikes.
— Krinkelz (@Kr4k3n420) September 28, 2022
This visit was planned to be relatively short. The inscription was meant to be a promise to return for another and more indepth visit.
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) September 28, 2022
The incident is not the first when a famous personality has received a deluge of mean tweets after visiting the Auschwitz Memorial. It happens just after an ex-boxing champion who tweeted a happy photo of himself and his fiancée while touring Auschwitz triggered a fierce outcry. Jamie McDonnell, 35, a former British IBF champion, received criticism for snapping the photos while visiting the Memorial, which protects the location of the former concentration and extermination camp, with his fiancée.