The Nazi scandal in the Argentine election campaign Debris.com

During a speech during the election campaign, Martin Kraus, Javier Miley’s appointed Minister of Education, wondered whether it would be better if the Gestapo were made up of Argentines. Because then there would be bribery and “all kinds of incompetence.” The Jewish Community Association condemns the trivialization of the Holocaust.

Three weeks before the presidential elections in Argentina, statements by the camp of libertarian populist Javier Miley caused a real Nazi scandal in the South American country. “Imagine if the Gestapo was made up of Argentines. Wouldn’t that have been much better?” said Education Minister-designate, front-runner in the October 22 election, Martin Krause, at a ceremony at Torcuato di Tella University.

“Instead of killing six million Jews, the number could have been much lower. There could have been bribery, or any kind of incompetence, and they would have been asleep. But that didn’t exist, they were just Germans. It seems that Kraus wanted, through his statement, to point out the incompetence of the Argentine authorities.

The Association of Jewish Communities in Argentina (DAIA) strongly criticized the move. “We condemn Martin Krause’s disparagement of the Holocaust,” the group wrote in a statement on Friday. “We caution the presidential candidate against the inappropriate use of the Holocaust in public debate and insist that the memory of the six million who were killed not be denigrated.” The Jewish community in Buenos Aires is one of the largest outside Israel.

Kraus apologizes for the statements

Conservative presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich also condemned the comments. “Javier Maile cannot propose a person like this to be responsible for the education of our children. He is a barbarian,” she wrote on X. Kraus later asked for forgiveness. He wanted to point out the shortcomings of the education system and chose an inappropriate comparison.

On October 22, Argentines are scheduled to elect a new head of state. Right-wing populist Miley suddenly emerged as the favorite in the primaries, followed by former conservative Interior Minister Bullrich and Economy Minister Sergio Massa from the leftist government camp. (APA/DPA)