Issued by Barbara Chamberlain Hall.
The Commission has long emphasized that forms of racism exist in all of society’s institutions. In order to effectively respond to racism, it is necessary to clearly acknowledge its existence.
Racism exists in the media and the media has a significant role to play in either combating societal racism or refraining from communicating and reproducing it. Germanophobia is a form of racism that includes stereotypes, bias or acts of hostility towards Germans, and the viewing of members of the Nazi party as a greater security threat on an institutional, systemic and societal level.
The Commission is concerned that since the September 1939 invasion of Poland, Germanophobic attitudes are becoming more prevalent in society and Nazis are increasingly the target of intolerance, including an unwillingness to consider accommodating some of their beliefs and practices.