Exactly my sentiment when listening to R4 yesterday. There was a statement about them being worried because a percentage of young people didn't know much about the Holocaust, my thought was immediately that a lot more people would know even less about Bosnia which would have happened in their lifetime. I realise it is a different scale, but with it being more recent and televised one would have thought that it would be easier to learn about.

It did get me thinking about some of the worst atrocities undertaken by man in the name of religion and came to the conclusion that most of the deaths in modern history were probably in the name of Christianity. So much for the terror that is Jihad!

Some of the stories on R4 yesterday were harrowing. I thought the story about Anne Frank's diary was interesting, plus the chap that cut the skin off his arm to hide his concentration camp number due to shame.

[i''Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.''[/i
- Primo Levi

Something that struck me as particularly sad and worrying (apart from the obvious), I was watching the Ross Kemp programme last night about Ukraine and he joined up with some of the various right-wing nationalist groups that have stepped up to fight the Russians in the East of Ukraine. What I found sad was the amount of people in those groups who were proud to call themselves Nazis or subscribe to those kind of beliefs. I just find it bizarre in a country that suffered so much under the Nazis and, if IIRC, the Nazis plan was to murder approx 60% of the Ukrainian population.

In a way I can see how ultra right-wing groups that subscribe to racist policies arise here, we didn't directly suffer the horrors of the war and the holocaust. But I find it worrying that such groups can rise in a nation like Ukraine.

As an aside, with the Paris thread in mind, Kemp talked to the leader of one of the groups. This guy had a KKK quote tattooed on his chest, but also thought that the Jews ruled the world and that white people were being exterminated by Muslims.

Now it wasn't the kind of situation where you could sit this guy down and pick holes in his bizarre beliefs but quite how a fully functioning adult can come to that conclusion simply baffles me.
For the simple reason, if "the Jews" ruled the world why were they getting Muslims to take over the world, and what benefit to "the Jews" is Russia invading Ukraine?

You don't have to go as far as Ukraine to find similar idiots and their vile views.

I've got one living quite close to me, just google Joshua Bonehill-Paine, he even had the opportunity to spout his views on Nicky Campbell's show on 5 Live yesterday.

While you're at it, take a look at some of the twitterati claiming genophilia and fearful that they are subject to white genocide. The genophiles particularly don't appreciate it when you point out that loving your own race does not mean you must hate all other races. That's not genophilia, that's racism, pure and simple

Judging by recent threads there's probably a few RLFannies who would insist vehemently the whole thing was a hoax.

Lol yes because even if that did happen it would be totally comparable to the Holocaust.

Seriously.....wtf.

Can we have a Twitter hashtag to go with that....y'know make yourself sound all 'cool' amongst your extreme lefty mates.

No need, it was a simple irrefutable statement

Some gems from the intellectual heavyweight 'Cod'ed' - who can compete with such intelligent concise arguments?

January 20: "Anyone who supports or intends voting for @UKIP or @Conservatives, I'll call you out now. You are all uncaring, evil sociopaths. F**k off"

January 19: "Useless fat c**t @EricPickles send a stupid letter to heads of mosques and wonders why they also think he's a useless fat c**t"

January 9: "Boko Haram slaughter 2000 in northern Nigeria, hardly a word on mainstream media. 'spose they were just a bunch of j****e b*****s eh?"

December 11: "No @Nigel_Farage we are not overcrowded you racist "

Why mention the current government in a discussion about the holocaust? How are the two in any way related apart from in your own tory hating head.

Maybe the Conservative manifesto will include some kind of final solution type policy. Behave. Utter rubbish.

I thought I'd explained my political leanings in that private message you instigated some months ago, this particular login of yours has lost its original flavour, why have you decided to dig it out now ?

I'd suggest your read, for example, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" which deals with the political rise of the Nazis and how they turned the population against the weaker sections of German society before you start claiming no connection.

It may not quite be the holocaust but there are disturbing similarities as Jerry says

Shouldn't need to read up on any of it. It's basic history taught at school and the subject of many, many tv documentaries.
It should be a part of anyone's basic knowledge over the age of 12/13.