Holocaust survivors slam German rapper duo over offensive Auschwitz verse

The candidacy of a German rapper duo for a prestigious music award will be reconsidered after Holocaust survivors slammed lines they sang about the Nazi death camp Auschwitz.

A complaint was filed on behalf of survivors to a local ethics committee against the two singers, known as Kollegah and Farid Bang, who have been nominated for the local ECHO awards, German media reported this week. The prize has been handed out to pop and classical musicians since 1992.

The complaint by the International Auschwitz Committee said they had included an offensive remark about Holocaust survivors in their song “0815,” which includes the line: “My body is defined by prisoners of Auschwitz,” regarded by many as demeaning and anti-Semitic.

Christoph Heubner of the International Auschwitz Committee, formed by survivors of the concentration camp to combat anti-Semitism, called the line “heartless” and a “cheap provocation.”

“They obviously don’t know much about Auschwitz,” said Esther Bejarano, 93, one of the last surviving members of the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, who still performs to this day with rap group Microphone Mafia.

“It is disrespectful to those who were murdered,” she said, according to Israel’s Channel 10 news.

Rebecca Heinz, CEO of the ECHO awards, told German media that “the language of rap is harsh and verbal provocation is a common tool in it. However, in light of the lines included in ‘0815,’ we have asked the ethics committee to study the issue and make a decision.”

Kollegah, 33, whose real name is Felix Blume, has been accused of anti-Semitism in the past after he traveled to the West Bank in 2016 and posting a documentary on his YouTube page. He holds staunchly pro-Palestinian views, slammed Israel repeatedly during his tour and visited the grave of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

He has collaborated and performed in recent years with 31-year-old Farid Bang, and the two released a joint album in 2009.