Germany condemns Holocaust cartoon contest in Iran

Germany is condemning a contest in Iran for cartoons depicting the Holocaust, saying it sows hatred and deepens divisions in the Middle East.

The event is organized by non-governmental bodies with support from Iran’s hard-liners. A previous contest in 2006 got a boost from then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who referred to the Holocaust as a “myth.”

“The murder of 6 million men, women and children during the Holocaust, for which we Germans bear guilt and responsibility, must not be abandoned to ridicule,” says German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer.

Schaefer says German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier made clear during a February visit to Tehran that no further such competition should take place, and that it was “very regrettable” it went ahead.

— AP