Join the campaign #ProtectTheFacts and its partners, the IHRA, European Commission, OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the United Nations, and UNESCO, in commemorating the Roma victims of the Nazi era.

The genocide of the Roma people remains one of the lesser-known crimes of the Nazi era. This lack of recognition is a harmful form of distortion that serves to perpetuate damaging stereotypes and ongoing discrimination against the Roma community.

Holocaust denial and distortion are harming our democracies. Understanding what Holocaust denial and distortion are, how they differ, and where they overlap is crucial to countering these dangerous trends and to protecting democracy.

A new report by UNESCO and the United Nations, in partnership with the World Jewish Congress, finds that over 16 per cent of material (more than 3 in every 20 posts) on social media platforms talking about the Holocaust denies or distorts its fundamental facts.

Countering Holocaust distortion plays a significant role in the EU Strategy on Combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, and in EU calls for funding, which are now open.

Here are three reasons why museums and memorials have a key role to play in the fight against rising Holocaust distortion all over the world.

Despite the danger it poses, Holocaust distortion is often overlooked and rarely addressed with concrete action. This International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we invite you to change this.

Holocaust denial and Holocaust distortion are not new. Knowing the history of Holocaust denial and distortion—from the Nazi era to today—can help us better recognise when these tactics are being employed. This can help prevent us from believing and spreading such disinformation, which harms democracies and threatens open, pluralistic societies.

Often fuelled by rumours, disinformation, and conspiracy myths, opposition to measures against the coronavirus has grown, moving from the fringes of society and closer and closer to the mainstream. These movements have impacted more than just public health.