TikTok holocaust video challenge receives outrage from Auschwitz Memorial

TikTok is under fire for its trending video challenge where teens are seen depicting roles as victims of the Holocaust. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum located at the former Nazi death camp in Poland expressed outrage calling the trend "hurtful and offensive." The videos feature users wearing make-up and costumes to make them look like emaciated concentration camp inmates while exchanging dialogues with God or Nazis inflicting harsh treatment on imprisoned Jews.

Users are seen sporting striped uniforms with fake bruises or Star of David armbands while voicing monologues about dying during the mass genocide.

According to WiredUK, the videos are recorded using a point-of-view mode with Bruno Mars' Locked Out of Heaven being the popular choice of music background. The trend has taken the viral road with videos garnering up to more than a hundred thousand views.

Although the videos do not generally have a humorous tone to them, the shock factor for many Jewish users of the Chinese owned video app is yet to come to some level of acceptance.

A 15-year-old TikTok user said she made her video to "spread awareness" about the Holocaust and to share the reality of her Jewish grandmother's story.

Some users who have posted to contribute to the video challenge said, "most creators are doing these videos to hop onto a trend so they can get likes and exposure but they are ill informed and woefully ignorant."

Taylor Hillman, 21, a deaf Jewish TikTok video creator said videos about such a sensitive topic should be left to people in the community affected by it.

She points out: "There are many young creators who range from about 12 to 16 that use the Holocaust trope for fame. They know it will get views and make them more popular, but most of the time they are not Jewish and it feels as though they are mocking the actual victims of the Holocaust."

While the Auschwitz Memorial shunned the video trend, they were quick to urge people not to attack or shame the teenagers involved. In their statement they said:

"Educators should work with young people to present the facts and stories but also teach and discuss how to commemorate in a meaningful and respectful way."

A representative from TikTok said the company has been redirecting searches for the videos with the hashtag #holocaustchallenge to their Community Guidelines to further educate users about their policies.