Greens candidate Mandy Nolan joked Hitler ‘had fun’

WATCH: A Greens candidate running in far north NSW joked that Adolf Hitler “had fun” in an opinion piece that she later videoed herself reading.

Greens candidate for Richmond Mandy Nolan jokes that Adolf Hitler "had fun. He did whatever he wanted to do". Picture Supplied

A Greens candidate joked that Adolf Hitler “had fun” in an opinion piece she later videoed herself reading.

Federal party leader Adam Bandt is standing by candidate Mandy Nolan after the video prompted calls from a Jewish group for her resignation.

Ms Nolan, a comedian, made the comment in a video rendition of an opinion piece published in the independent newspaper Byron Shire Echo in which she discusses the frustration of ­explaining to her teenage daughter the need to balance fun and ­responsibility.

“Just look at Hitler. He had fun. He did whatever he wanted to do,” she said in the video uploaded to YouTube in August 2011. “Just ask six million Jews how they feel about that now and he still didn’t get his sociopathic fill – you just can’t do it, it’s ­unethical.”

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said Ms Nolan’s comments were indefensible and called on Mr Bandt to disendorse her.

“The Holocaust deserves greater respect and should not be debased or degraded in such a way, and for any individual to generate laughter at the expense of those who have suffered enough is obscene,” he said.

“Holocaust survivors who have lost families and loved ones in the concentration camps would not find Ms Nolan’s ­remarks funny and would be deeply hurt to know that anyone has used the slaughter of millions for cheap giggles.”

Ms Nolan is running in the seat of Richmond, which covers the northern NSW towns of ­Ballina, Byron Bay, Lennox Head, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads.

Mr Bandt said Ms Nolan would make a great member for Richmond, and stressed that her comments clearly condemned anti-Semitism and people acting without regard for others.

“Mandy has a strong history of fighting anti-Semitism and fascism, and has apologised for any distress caused by her comments,” he said.

Ms Nolan is a performer, comedian, MC, writer, author, artist, teacher, ambassador and activist, according to her candidate website. She apologised for causing offence and said she was proud of her record of fighting against anti-Semitism.

“I apologise if this clumsy metaphor, retelling my frustrated attempts to teach my teenage daughter that she needs to consider her actions, caused any ­offence to the Jewish community,” she said.

“It was certainly not intended. In the remark Hitler was used as an example of a dangerous sociopath who had no moral compass.”