Oliver Stone: Jews' domination of media prevents free Holocaust debate
Oscar-wining director tells Sunday Times more Russians suffered at Hitler's hands than Jewish people, adding US policy towards Iran 'horrible'. Minister Edelstein: Remarks could lead to a new wave of anti-Semitism
In an interview with the Sunday Times, American film director Oliver Stone blamed "Jewish domination of the media" for Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust not being put "in context."
After claiming earlier this year that Hitler is used as a "scapegoat," Stone added that more Russians ("25 or 30 (million killed)") suffered at the German dictator's hands than the Jewish people.
In an interview he gave to promote his new documentary "South of the Border," the Oscar-winning director told the Times that Israel had distorted the United States foreign policy "for years."
"There's a major lobby in the United States," Stone told the British newspaper. "They are hard workers. They stay on top of every comment. The most powerful lobby in Washington."
Although Stone, whose father is Jewish, did agree that "Hitler was a Frankenstein," he added that the Americans, the British and German industrialists made up a "Dr. Frankenstein."
Stone (L) with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez (Photo: AP)
The famed Hollywood director of such films as Platoon and JFK, also criticized US policy towards Iran, which he called 'horrible."
"Iran isn't necessarily the good guy," Stone said, insisting that Americans did not "know the full story."
In response to Stone's comments, Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein said, "Beyond the ignorance he proves with his comments, his demonization of the Jewish people could be a sequel to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
“When a man of Stone’s stature says such things, it could lead to a new wave of anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism, and it may even cause real harm to Jewish communities and individuals,” the minister said.
Stone later issued an apology for his remarks. "In trying to make a broader historical point about the range of atrocities the Germans committed against many people, I made a clumsy association about the Holocaust, for which I am sorry and I regret," he said in a statement.
"Jews obviously do not control media or any other industry. The fact that the Holocaust is still a very important, vivid and current matter today is, in fact, a great credit to the very hard work of a broad coalition of people committed to the remembrance of this atrocity – and it was an atrocity."
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