Iran is again hosting an international cartoon contest on the Holocaust, but so far there has been little condemnation from world leaders.
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon wrote to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday calling on him to condemn Iran’s anti-Semitic cartoon competition. “Holocaust denial is the most powerful expression of anti-Semitism which legitimizes the murder of six million Jews,” Danon wrote.
He pointed out that on 27 January, the United Nations will mark the annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day, “while a UN member state is organizing an international competition with the sole purpose of denying the Holocaust. [...] The Iranians are trying to desecrate the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and the United Nations must stand by Israel and condemn this heinous act,” Danon wrote.
Cartoonists from at least 50 countries are expected to participate. In June, the winner will receive a cash prize of US$ 50,000, with the top three runners up to receive US$ 12,000, 8,000, and 5,000 each for their work mocking the Nazi genocide of six million Jews.
Organizers of the event claim it is not aimed at denying the Shoah. “The main question is that why is there no permission to talk about the Holocaust despite their belief in freedom of speech,” contest secretary Masud Shojai-Tabatabai said in December, referring to Western countries. He claimed that Israel was using the Holocaust as a pretext in the conflict with Palestinians.
The contest will also will feature a separate portrait contest focusing on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
