A candidate for governor in California is coming under fire for a social media post that referenced Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration camp, as a model for ending homelessness and unemployment.
On Friday, Republican Kyle Langford shared a photo of himself superimposed over the entrance to Auschwitz with the caption, “My 0% Unemployment Plan.”
The photo includes the “Arbeit macht frei (Work makes one free)” gate, which prisoners saw as they arrived at the camp during World War II. More than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered at Auschwitz.
The Auschwitz Memorial responded on X to Langford’s post, describing it as “a profound moral failure.”
“The instrumentalization of the tragedy of all those imprisoned and murdered in the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz for political messaging is a profound moral failure. Auschwitz is not a prop,” the memorial stated. “[Your] post is an affront to the dignity of the victims and a disturbing display of insensitivity and disregard to horrifying human history.”
In response to the pushback to his original post, Langford said he “wasn’t joking” about it and, “I think it is exactly what is needed to stabilize California and keep people safe.”
He also thanked the Auschwitz Memorial for what he called a “massive shoutout,” adding, “My German ancestors smile upon me.”
This is not the first time Langford has antagonized the Jewish community on social media. In an April 16 post, he said, “Jews need to become Catholic, worship Jesus Christ, and abandon the state of Israel.”
The Auschwitz memorial recently marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp by Soviet Red Army troops. Some 6 million European Jews were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust.