GOP congressman blasted for likening vaccine mandate to holocaust

Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio shared a photo of a Nazi health pass in relation to a new vaccine policy

(Getty Images)

Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio has been condemned by Jewish groups for comparing a vaccine policy to the Nazi regime.

The congressman retweeted a post from District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, who shared a video about the new Covid vaccine regulations.

"This has been done before. #DoNotComply" wrote Mr Davidson, along with a picture of a Nazi health pass. From Saturday, people over 12 years old will be required to be fully vaccinated to go to restaurants, bars and coffee shops, plus theatres, and gyms in Washington DC.

"Let’s recall that the Nazis dehumanised Jewish people before segregating them, segregated them before imprisoning them, imprisoned them before enslaving them, and enslaved them before massacring them,” the congressman added.

Jewish groups have said Mr Davidson's comparison is "exploiting of the tragedy" of those who were murdered in the holocaust.

"Exploiting of the tragedy of all people who between 1933-45 suffered, were humiliated, tortured & murdered by the totalitarian regime of Nazi Germany in a debate about vaccines and Covid limitations in the time of global pandemic is a sad symptom of moral and intellectual decay,” wrote Auschwitz Memorial in response.

Jewish Democratic Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota told Mr Davidson that “the use of such imagery wasn’t just a repugnant and dangerous false equivalency, but deeply offensive and painful for Jewish people,” Mr Phillips said to CNN. “I said I’d debate mandates and tyranny whenever he wishes, but there’s no debate on the offence of his post. He could have cared less.”

The Anti-Defamation League agreed that Mr Davidson’s comparison was "minimising the Holocaust in this way is deeply offensive and harmful," the organisation wrote on Twitter.

Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, has made similar comments, including comparing mandatory mask-wearing to the yellow stars of David that the Nazis forced Jews to wear. While Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert previously tweeted that a federal effort to go door to door to persuade those who had not yet been vaccinated as "needle Nazis".

"Biden has deployed his Needle Nazis to Mesa County," Ms Boebert tweeted. "The people of my district are more than smart enough to make their own decisions about the experimental vaccine and don't need coercion by federal agents.”

Coronavirus vaccines are not "experimental". They are fully authorised for use by the US Food and Drug Administration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Covid-19 vaccines are safe for adults and children to use. The vaccines vastly lower the risk of hospitalisation and death as a result of coronavirus