Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid described The Kashmir Files as a “propaganda” and “vulgar” film days before the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. Naor Gilon, Israel’s ambassador to India, revealed Saturday that he received hateful anti-Semitic messages praising Hitler and justifying the Holocaust.
Despite widespread criticism, the Israeli filmmaker stood by his comments, unfazed by the government’s distance.
“Just wanted to share one of a few direct messages I got in this direction,” the Israeli ambassador tweeted on Saturday. According to his profile, he holds a PhD. It was my decision to remove his identifying information even though he did not need my protection.”
On Twitter, Gilon posted a screenshot of a message that read: “Hitler was great when he burned down scums like you”. From the same account, another message stated, “Hitler was a great person.”.
After posting the message, Gilon, the son of a Holocaust survivor, said he was touched by the support he received.
Your support means a lot to me. DMs like the one mentioned above do not reflect the friendship we enjoy in India, including on social media. “I just wanted to remind you that anti-Semitism sentiments exist; we need to oppose them together and keep the dialogue civil,” Gilon said.
“I am extremely hurt to see reactions in India” (to Lapid’s remarks) “that are doubting Schindler’s List, the Holocaust, and worse”. Gilon tweeted an “open letter” to Lapid, saying, “You should be ashamed.”. union information minister Anurag Thakur retweeted it.
