In an ideal world, the fascist salute, a sign associated with anti-Jewish hate, would be so repulsive it could not be shown or demonstrated.

The salute was used in Nazi Germany and in fascist Italy. It was one of the symbols associated with the most destructive war in recorded history. It is also one of the symbols associated with the Holocaust, a genocide targeting Jewish people, from 1933 to 1945.

The Holocaust resulted in the deaths of around six million Jews during the time of Nazi Germany. It remains the worst genocide in recorded history.

One-third of the world香蕉视频直播檚 Jewish population was killed during the Holocaust. Among European Jews, two-thirds were killed.

The Second World War ended 80 years ago, in 1945, but the gesture has not gone away and remains a symbol used by those who admire the Nazis or share their ideology.

I watched in shock and disgust in summer as someone in a public park in the Okanagan made that gesture not once but at least twice in full view, while also making comments making light of the atrocities of Nazi Germany.

This gesture was not given in secret, but in public, in daylight, while people were watching.

More recently, Elon Musk is accused of making the same gesture at the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Musk is accused of having given this salute at least twice during his speech on Jan. 20.

Not only were Musk香蕉视频直播檚 gestures done in public; they were done in the presence of photographers, videographers and news media broadcasting what happened across the world.

This incident happened just one week before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.

Musk香蕉视频直播檚 response so far has been to trivialize the backlash he has faced. He has not come out to say he opposes the Nazi ideology, but has instead made jokes referring to some of the worst individuals in the Nazi regime. 

In the days following, some have tried to offer excuses or explanations for Musk香蕉视频直播檚 gesture. It has been described as an awkward gesture, an ancient Roman salute and a sign of love. But this gesture is most often associated with Nazi Germany. It is a universally known gesture.

Why did some people try to excuse Musk香蕉视频直播檚 action? One explanation is that taking him to task for his actions would force critics to confront their own pasts.

Someone criticizing this recent salute might have done something similar, perhaps decades ago. Giving Musk a free pass could be seen as a way to avoid self-examination.

Once the gesture has been made, the action can never be undone. Even if the person who made the gesture has a change of heart, the action itself cannot be erased. The display of hate remains.

On Jan. 27, 1945, those imprisoned in the Auschwitz extermination camp in Poland were liberated by the Soviet Union香蕉视频直播檚 Red Army.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, also known as the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is observed on Jan. 27. It is a time to reflect on a terrible period in human history, but reflecting on atrocities is not enough.

In 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, 香蕉视频直播淲e must also go beyond remembrance, and make sure that new generations know this history. We must apply the lessons of the Holocaust to today's world. And we must do our utmost so that all peoples may enjoy the protection and rights for which the United Nations stands.香蕉视频直播�

In 2023, the province of British Columbia mandated that students must be taught about the Holocaust in high school. This was done in response to a rise in incidents of anti-Jewish hate in the province and beyond.

This is a start, but more work is needed. 

The salute associated with Nazi Germany is a repulsive gesture, associated with the worst hate in human history. It must be seen as such.

There is no way to defend the indefensible.

John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.