Newspaper Apologizes for Holocaust Comic

Controversial argentinian comic Gustavo Sala is under fire for his Holocaust cartoon in Argentinian newspaper Pagina/12.

Titled “An Adventure of David Ghetto, the DJ of the concentration camps,” the strip of “FieSSta” drew the ire of Jewish groups in the area for its depiction of the Holocaust. The cartoon strip’s main character DJ David Ghetto, a caricature of French DJ David Guetta, spins tunes at a concentration camp in the first frame. Jewish prisoners object, because they don’t see a reason to celebrate. They sat, “Do you know that they kill us in gas chambers and make soap with us?”

Hitler appears in the next frame, convincing the Jews to dance because “life is short.” In the final frame, Hitler confides in the DJ, “If they are relaxed, the soap will be better.” Jewish groups reacted with outrage at the strip, urging the Argentinian government to denounce the newspaper under the country’s anti-discrimination law. The Argentina Israeli Mutual Association and the Delegation of Argentine Jewish Associations complained that the cartoon showed a “lack of respect” and trivialized the Holocaust.

Under pressure, Pagina/12 issued an apology “to all who have been affected” for causing “pain and distress” on its website.