Controversial Mural of Anne Frank Sparks Outrage

A mural in Bergen, Norway, depicting Anne Frank wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh has sparked widespread outrage among Jewish communities and is criticized as antisemitic. The European Jewish Congress condemned the mural, stating it distorts Holocaust history and undermines its memory. The artist, Töddel, defended the work, asserting that it aims to draw parallels between the suffering of Holocaust victims and the plight of Palestinian civilians, while also criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza. Töddel, who is not Jewish, expressed respect for Anne Frank and emphasized that both she and the victims in Gaza suffered due to their ethnicity and circumstances. The mural is titled “Death of the Innocent” and has emerged amidst ongoing tensions related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, with Töddel stating that Israel's response to Hamas is achieving the latter's goal of tarnishing its reputation. This controversial artwork follows earlier incidents where Anne Frank's legacy has been invoked in discussions about Israel and Palestine, including recent graffiti on a statue of her in Amsterdam.