JAKARTA: An Indonesian museum has taken down a status of Adolf Hittler after a Jewish organization expressed outrage at the waxwork gaining attraction for ‘selfies’ among the visitors.
A photo of Auschwitz concentration camp was in the background of the Hitler statue.
The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, which campaigns against Holocaust denial and anti-semitism, said the display is “disgusting” and mocks victims of the Holocaust in which millions were exterminated by Nazi Germany.
Human Rights Watch has condemned the exhibit as “sickening.”
The waxworks and visual effects museum in the city of Yogyakarta has defended the Hitler waxwork as “fun” for teenagers.
“We welcomed the decision because, regardless the intention, depicting Hitler as if he were a respected figure is in bad taste,” he said Saturday.
Jamie Misbach, the museum’s operational manager, told BBC Indonesia that they had not meant to offend. “We apologize. It was not out intention to disrespect anyone,” he said.
De Mata’s website says it is a 3D art museum where visitors will not get bored and can take selfies with more than 100 statues featuring political leaders, superheroes and celebrities.
It was not the first time an Indonesian establishment has been criticized for Holocaust insensitivity.
A Nazi-themed cafe in the West Java city of Bandung was forced to close down in 2013 following criticism of its Nazi decorations, including a giant picture of Adolf Hitler and an array of swastikas.
It was then reopened in 2014, with the theme broadened to include World War II images in general, but some Nazi images were retained.
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