News

Kristallnacht Trending on Twitter — and Not Just for a History Lesson

Image by Wikicommons

By Lilly Maier November 9, 2016

People on Twitter are using the hashtag #Kristallnacht to comment on Donald Trump’s election — and not everyone is OK with that.

The November pogroms – more commonly known as Kristallacht or Crystal Night – were a serious of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany on 9–10 November 1938. Paramilitary forces and German civilians burnt synagogues and destroyed Jewish businesses. About 30,000 Jews were attested and sent to concentration camps.

Wednesday morning, #Kristallacht started trending on Twitter.

And while a good number of these tweets are meant to memorialize and mourn what happened almost eighty years ago, even more Twitter users are using it to express their shock and disdain about today’s election results.

Take a look at same of the examples

Today is the anniversary of Kristallnacht. How did we go from liberators of Europe to electing a hero of American Nazis? #NotMyPresident

— (((Annette))) (@abytw) November 9, 2016

I can’t believe today is the anniversary of #Kristallnacht. It feels like a cruel joke and a scary warning.

— Elyssa (@ElyssaK) November 9, 2016

Today is the anniversary of Kristallnacht (google it) This morning I feel we are doomed to repeat history. We better stand up for each other

— Leslie Grossman (@MissLeslieG) November 9, 2016

Trump gets elected on the 78th anniversary of kristallnacht. It is terrifying how quickly we forget. #ElectionNight

— Madison Wisconsin (@MadisonSlobin) November 9, 2016

Stay tuned for American Horror Story: Kristallnacht. Premieres January 20, 2017. Check local listings for details.

— Chris & I feel sick (@animeraider) November 9, 2016

today is the 78th anniversary of kristallnacht and america just elected a candidate who’s supported by the kkk and neo nazis #notmypresident

— Alexis Aaeng (@alexisaaeng) November 9, 2016

But not everybody was happy about the comparison to present day politics.

If you’re drawing a parallel between Trump and #Kristallnacht you need to sort your life out.

— Lloyd Elliott (@ElliottYo) November 9, 2016

The fact that any liberal thinks they’ve ever experienced anything close to Kristallnacht is disgusting. Today is not about you.

— Marie McKenzie (@Mmarie2539) November 9, 2016

Lilly Maier is a news intern at the Forward. Reach her at maier@forward.com or on Twitter at @lillymmaier

Lilly Maier is a news intern at the Forward. She is a graduate journalism student at New York University, where she studies as a Fulbright scholar. She also holds a B.A. in Jewish history from the University of Munich. Contact Lilly at maier@forward.com, read her portfolio, or follow her on Twitter.

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