Independent candidate ‘deeply sorry’ after Nazi Facebook post emerges
Kooyong candidate Dr Monique Ryan has apologised over a recently-resurfaced meme she shared in 2017 that trivialised Nazism.
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A Melbourne politician has apologised over a post she shared to social media in 2017 in which she appeared to trivialise Nazism.
Independent candidate for Kooyong Dr Monique Ryan shared a meme, obtained by The Australian, to Facebook five years ago that replicated Adolf Hitler’s autobiography, Mein Kampf.
The cover of the book was replaced with an image of former US president Donald Trump and renamed Covfefe – a spin on a spelling error in one of Trump’s tweets that many suspected was meant to say “coffee”.
In the post, Dr Ryan wrote: “this book is so covfefe right now”, with the image she shared also containing a made-up blurb intended to read as if it had been written by Mr Trump.
“New book is almost finished. It’s filled with the best words. Many are so good you’ve never even heard of them,” it read, according to the publication.
Dr Ryan is going head-to-head with Liberal MP and federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who is Jewish, for the seat of Kooyong.
A spokesperson for Dr Ryan told The Australian the 2017 Facebook post was “a poor attempt at humour” for which she was “deeply sorry”.
“Dr Ryan agrees that the post could be seen as offensive and she is deeply regretful of any hurt that she has caused to any member of the community, including members of the Jewish community and all other communities persecuted by the Nazis,” the spokesperson said.
“Dr Ryan is deeply sorry to anyone who is offended by her misguided attempts at humour.”
Holocaust survivor Phillip Maisel, 99, said an apology was the least Dr Ryan could offer.
“The Holocaust is an event which should be a lesson to humans about humanity in dissent. Germany was a very cultured nation and the barbarism was unbelievable, and at the very least Dr Ryan should apologise,” Mr Maisel told The Australian.
Labor has also landed in hot water over offensive posts to social media, with the Facebook page for Balmain Labor called out over a slew of anti-Semitic and misogynist memes.
The branch, which falls within Anthony Albanese’s electorate of Grayndler, credits itself as being the party’s oldest branch.
One post, shared on March 4, is a meme of Mr Frydenberg’s face imposed into a Nazi uniform with the title, “bogans heroes”.
A meme shared on April 3 showed a row of stick brooms leaning up against a garage wall with the words, “Peta Credlin’s garage” in a dig against Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff.
It paid reference to an image in 2011 of then Liberal leader Mr Abbot outside Parliament House in front of a protester holding a sign that read, “Ditch the Witch”.
Another took a stab at Scott Morrison’s faith, with the words, “Help me Sky Daddy, I f*cked up again” pasted across a photo of the prime minister singing with his hands in the air.
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Originally published as Independent candidate ‘deeply sorry’ after Nazi Facebook post emerges
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