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Project Empathy: Stop Holocaust Denial

Restoring and colourising footage of the Holocaust

Viewer Discretion is Advised. The Footage Contains Scenes Some People May Find Upsetting.

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Written Statement

Human rights are under threat in our modern world, with countless instances of violations occurring around the globe. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a landmark document adopted by the United Nations in 1948, was born out of the aftermath of World War II and the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. This footage shown at the Nuremberg Trials, which documented the horrors of the concentration camps, played a significant role in galvanizing global opinion towards the need for an internationally recognized framework for human rights.

However, despite the progress made in the decades since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the current state of human rights remains precarious. Governments and other powerful actors continue to commit abuses against their own citizens and violate international laws and norms. The protection of human rights is essential to ensuring that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or any other characteristic.

It is important to remember that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was only made possible because of the exposure of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. The Nuremberg Trials, which were the first international war crimes tribunals, provided an unprecedented platform for the world to see the horrors of the concentration camps. The footage shown during these trials had a profound impact on those who witnessed it, galvanizing global opinion towards the need for an internationally recognized framework for human rights.

Despite the importance of this footage, there have been attempts to withhold it from public view on ethical grounds. Some argue that it is too graphic and disturbing for the public to see, while others argue that it is disrespectful to the victims and their families to show such footage. However, we would argue that obscuring this footage is misguided and counterproductive.

It is important to note that the footage shown at the Nuremberg Trials was a turning point in the world's understanding of human rights. Until that moment, the full scale and horror of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust were largely unknown to the public. The footage of emaciated prisoners, mass graves, and gas chambers shocked the world and sparked a global conversation about the need for an internationally recognized framework for human rights.

Furthermore, this footage continues to serve as a powerful reminder of the consequences of failing to protect human rights. It serves as a stark warning against the dangers of allowing governments and other powerful actors to violate the fundamental rights of their citizens.

Therefore, obscuring this footage from public view on ethical grounds risks erasing an essential part of history and losing sight of the very foundation upon which our current conception of human rights is built. It is through confronting the horrors of the past that we can better understand the importance of protecting human rights in the present and the future.

Exposing people to the realities of the Holocaust is precisely what has led to a greater awareness of human rights issues and the need to protect them. By withholding this footage, we risk losing sight of the very foundation upon which our current conception of human rights is built. Transparency and open access to historical records are essential for safeguarding the principles of human dignity and respect for all individuals.

It is important to remember that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not just a historical document, but a living and evolving framework that must be constantly reaffirmed and defended. The current state of human rights around the globe is a reminder that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect these fundamental values. We must continue to demand accountability for those who violate human rights, and we must continue to educate ourselves and others about the importance of these principles.

The precarious state of human rights today highlights the urgent need for a renewed commitment to the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The footage shown at the Nuremberg Trials played a significant role in galvanizing global opinion towards the need for an internationally recognized framework for human rights. Rather than obscuring this footage, we must embrace transparency and open access to historical records as a means of safeguarding the principles of human dignity and respect for all individuals. Only then can we hope to create a world where human rights are truly universal and protected for all.

Our Objective

To restore, remaster and colourise original footage of Nazi Concentration Camps to help people empathise with the victims of Nazi Concentration Camps. To fight the growing levels of racism and antisemitism we are witnessing around the world.

Our Goal

Restore and colourise the footage of Nazi Concentration Camps recorded on the orders of General Eisenhower.

What is Project Empathy?


Project Empathy's aim is to make the world understand the horrors of racism and antisemitism. The project involves a remastering and colourisation of original footage of concentration camps to full-colour HD.

We are working to remaster and colourise original footage of concentration camps that were taken by allied troops after liberation. The rise of antisemitism, racism and extremist groups that focus on dividing humanity through hate and fear is a threat to all of humanity and it's future. Education is the most powerful tool for building bridges and fighting hate and fear. When combating misinformation we found conspiracy theories always led down to blaming Jewish people for the world's problems, and how the Holocaust never happened but was another Jewish conspiracy to garner sympathy for Jewish people. Restoring and colourising the footage brings a powerful reminder that the Holocaust did happen and millions of people were murdered because of Nazi racial ideology.

The footage was created on the orders of Supreme Allied Commander General Eisenhower as he knew that if they did not document the camps, people would not believe it had actually happened. Eisenhower was prescient in his concern because Holocaust denial is something that is happening in the world today and is a growing problem. In parallel with this, there is an increase in blaming others for problems and seeing an increase in disdain for people from other cultures to their own.

What is a Nazi Concentration Camp?


A concentration camp is a place where a government forces people to live without a trial. It is usually people that a government does not like, for example, a specific group whether it be religious, political, foreign, or ethnic. Nazi concentration camps were concentration camps used during Nazi Germany, the period when Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party controlled Germany, from 1933 to 1945.

What were Nazi Concentration Camps used for?


The Nazi Concentration Camps were originally used for imprisoning people that the Nazi Party did not like, that were seen as potential threats to Nazi rule, such as other political opponents, for example, Communists, Socialists, or people of specific religious belief such as Jehovah’s witnesses and people that the Nazi party viewed as inferior to themselves such as Jewish people, Roma people and disabled people.

What was the holocaust?


The holocaust was the systematic murder of 6 million Jewish people and 5 million other people that the Nazis' viewed as inferior. The others included homosexuals, disabled people, Slavic people, Roma people and Jehovah's witnesses.

What is a death camp?


A death camp or extermination camp is different from a concentration camp in that they were set up to kill as many people as possible in the quickest way possible, using industrial techniques to maximise efficiency.

What holocaust movies can I watch?


There are lots of documentaries you can watch on the holocaust and Nazi Concentration Camps, however, some of the most moving footage to watch is the original footage filmed on the orders of General Eisenhower as it shows the condition people were forced to live in, as the footage was taken just after the camps were liberated.

Why project empathy?


There is a growing rise in the number of racist and antisemitic incidences worldwide. The belief that one human being is worth less than someone else is detrimental to humanity as a whole. There is a worrying rise in the number of people denying the holocaust took place, or that Nazi Concentration camps weren’t as bad as people have been told. This is why we are working to remaster and colourise original footage of Nazi Concentration camps. Black and white footage can often be seen as not “real” which is why they are able to show people that have been killed in black and white war footage from WW1 and WW2 in schools as the old footage and black and white makes it seem unreal and that these weren’t real people. Having full HD colour footage creates an impact on the viewer of footage. If it is in full HD colour, people can more easily connect and empathise with the people in the footage.

Why do holocaust survivors live longer?


There is a paradox with holocaust survivors as there was a belief that those who survived would often die young, yet it appears that those who survived the camps have lived longer than the rest of the population alive at that time. It is argued that those who managed to survivor the appalling chronic conditions may have had a higher resilience to the horrible conditions, thus live longer due to this resilience.

Who was in the Nazi Concentration Camps?

 

Jewish people, Soviet civilians (not including Soviet Jews), Ukrainians, Soviet POWs, Ethnic Polish people (not including Polish Jews), Serbian people, people with disabilities, Roma people, Freemasons, Slovenian people, Homosexuals, Spanish Republicans, and Jehovah's Witnesses.


Who survived the holocaust?

Many people did survive the holocaust, however as the camps were being overrun by the allies, the Nazi’s had removed many prisoners and forced marched them to camps further into Germany. Many died on these forced marches. 7,000 inmates were found in Auschwitz while some 60,000 prisoners were discovered at Bergen-Belsen. Thousands died over the coming weeks from disease and malnutrition.

Who paid holocaust reparations?

The Reparations Agreement between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany entered in to force on March 27, 1953.

When were the Nazi Concentration Camps built?

The camps were built from 1933 onwards.

When were the Nazi Concentration Camps liberated?

The camps were liberated as the allies advanced on Germany during the later stage of WW2. The Soviet Red Army was the first to discover the camps in eastern Europe, the western allies did not believe the information from the soviets until they started liberating camps in the west. The camps were liberated by the Allied forces between 1944 and 1945.

How many people died in the Nazi Concentration Camps?

According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the total number of people killed during the Holocaust was 17 million: 6 million Jewish people and 11 million other people.


How did the Nazi Concentration Camps Begin?

Concentration Camps weren’t invented by the Nazis. Other countries had previously been using them to hold groups of people that were considered undesirable. The camps in Nazi Germany were originally set up to suppress all real and political opposition to the Nazi party. The first camp Dachau was created in 1933 and was to hold 5,000 communists and other political prisoners that the Nazi’s viewed as a threat to their rule. From there other camps were created to contain more and more people that the Nazi’s wanted to remove from the population.

How many holocaust survivors are still alive?


As time moves on fewer people who survived the holocaust and Nazi concentration camps are still alive. This is why it is so important to keep the memory alive so that we never experience another.

THANK YOU

We would like to thank Mr Clinton Simmons and Henninger Media Services for scanning the original footage into 4K quality.

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