Genocide in Europe: It couldn’t happen again. Or, could it?

Is there an answer to Elon Musk and his question: “Could what happened to the Yazidi people one day happen to Europe?” Let’s remember it was St. Maximilian Kolbe, who died in Auschwitz but had stated: ’The most deadly poison of our time is indifference.’ 

To get an insight, when answering such a question like the one asked by Musk, people should look at past examples and begin with the famous court case from the late 1990’s, between ITN and LM magazine - formerly Living Marxism. 

As The Guardian reported in the year 2000, ‘Living Marxism accused ITN of distorting the truth about Bosnia. Now, it faces ruin after losing the ensuing libel battle.’ 

Let's fast forward to June 2014 when the BBC reported how 'Isis has launched a social media campaign and is posting (mainly on Twitter)'… 'to highlight its military strength and territorial advances in Iraq.’ 

In 2014, The Independent also warned that IS 'has been deploying an astute strategy across Facebook and Twitter, using it to spread its message to the wider public, build up its populist credibility and help indoctrinate sympathisers.’ 

While 'Foreign fighters and grassroots supporters are also setting up profiles and accounts to share their experiences, retweeting information in an effort to help recruit new supporters and members.’ 

But as Shafaq News recently reminded Elon Musk: 

'ISIS has been responsible for several high-profile attacks in Europe, particularly during the peak of its influence. Notable incidents include the 2015 Paris attacks, where coordinated assaults targeted the Bataclan Theatre, cafes, and the Stade de France, resulting in 130 deaths.’ 

'In 2016, suicide bombers attacked Brussels Airport and a metro station, killing 32 people. The same year, a truck was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people.’ 

'In 2017, a suicide bomber targeted an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, killing 22 people, and a van was driven into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, killing 14 people.’ 

Over the years, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum have also warned, that in the US 'it is not against the law to deny the Holocaust or to propagate Nazi and antisemitic hate speech.’ 

'European countries such as Germany and France have criminalized denial of the Holocaust and have banned Nazi and neo-Nazi publications.’ 

Stating: 'The Internet is now the chief source of Holocaust denial and the chief means of recruiting for Holocaust denial organizations.’ 

For information on the Yazidi Genocide or if you’d like to assist the Yazidi community in Iraq, please visit the AMAR International Charitable Foundation. 

Hussein Al-alak lives in the United Kingdom and is the editor of Iraq Solidarity News (Al-Thawra).