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An Indiana chapter of the national group Moms for Liberty is facing backlash after releasing a newsletter featuring a quote from Adolf Hitler. The Indiana Democratic Party and local politicians have denounced the group’s use of the quote.
The Hamilton County chapter introduced their newsletter The Parent Brigade this week. On the front page, a quote attributed to Hitler said, “He alone who owns the youth, gains the future.”
After the newsletter became public, the chapter added context beneath the quote said its purpose was to notify parents about the dangers of government overreach. The quote itself comes from a 1935 speech at the Reichsparteitag, in which the Nazi leader was promoting the Hitler Youth program. It was the same event that the Nazi Party introduced the Nuremberg Laws.
The Hamilton County chapter later deleted the newsletter with the context and issued an apology.
“We condemn Adolf Hilter’s actions and his dark place in human history. We should not have quoted him in our newsletter and we express our deepest apologies,” the statement said.
Critics like state Sen. J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis) condemned the chapter’s use of the quote.
“Six million Jewish people lost their lives because of the rhetoric and ideals that were pushed by Hitler. We fought a global war — thousands of American service members lost their lives — to extinguish the type of hateful, anti-semitic language and views promoted by Hitler,” Ford said in a statement.
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The national founders of Moms for Liberty said their goal is to empower parents to get involved in education. The group has been labeled an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for attacking the LGBTQ+ community and spreading what the SPLC deems conspiracy propaganda and indoctrination.
Kirsten is the education reporter for Indiana Public Broadcsting. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.
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