‘Mourning Nazis’: Trump Ambassador Blasted for Visiting Nazi Cemetery on Jewish Day of Mourning, Lamenting Cost of War

U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra on Thursday visited a Nazi cemetery and called the experience a “terrible reminder of the cost of going to war and why we must always work towards peace.” Hoekstra is a former GOP Congressman who served as the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee.

The cemetery is the burial place of dead Nazis killed in World War II, and other German soldiers from both WWI and WWII. Thursday was a Jewish day of mourning, Tisha B’Av, known as “the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.”

In World War II the Nazis murdered an estimated 6 million Jews.

Walked among the graves at Ysselsteyn, a cemetery for German soldiers from WWI & WWII. A terrible reminder of the cost of going to war and why we must always work towards peace. pic.twitter.com/K1YDfRaAQd

— Ambassador Pete Hoekstra (@usambnl) July 30, 2020

The nonprofit news site Michigan Advance notes that “Neo-Nazis have been known to visit to honor Nazis buried” at at the Ysselsteyn German war cemetery. It is the largest World War II German cemetery.

Why a United States Ambassador is mourning the deaths of Nazi soldiers is incomprehensible to many, who expressed outrage on social media.

Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on authoritarians and fascism:

@usambnl Historian of fascism here: you are a disgrace to your profession. https://t.co/1V5v7dCl0Y

— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) July 31, 2020

Noted economist David Rothschild:

What the fuck?

— David Rothschild (@DavMicRot) July 30, 2020

Fmr. Impeachment Special Counsel:

I never imagined I would see this:

A US ambassador paying tribute to Nazi German fighters & occupiers. Including SS

I don’t care if they’re dead or alive, & I don’t care how long it’s been

Wish I could visit graves of my family the SS killed but I can’t: they were incinerated. https://t.co/aVD0ahJeK1

— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) July 30, 2020

Former: CIA ops officer, GOP policy director, independent presidential candidate:

Indeed, war is beyond terrible, but I never thought I’d see an American ambassador mourn the loss of Nazi soldiers’ lives. Our diplomats should be advancing freedom, not sending sympathetic signals to tyrants and the far-right. https://t.co/Pmuw75J1qK

— Evan McMullin (@EvanMcMullin) July 30, 2020

Conservative Political Analyst:

You really can’t be this stupid. https://t.co/37Q9NTPY2r

— Rick Tyler-Still Right (@rickwtyler) July 30, 2020

More:

Interestingly enough The Netherlands has cemeteries for American WW2 soldiers. Soldiers we honor till this day. Peter Hoekstra instead chose to visit a nazi cemeteryhttps://t.co/Fs1rfuOFuI

— Culture Shots (@hjvinke) July 30, 2020

So meaningful of @petehoekstra to join Jews in observing #TishaBav, a day of mourning and lamentations, by…

🧐*checks notes*🧐

…mourning Nazis. https://t.co/BOyIWKwBix

— IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) July 31, 2020

Trump stabs Angela Merkel in the back, then his puppet ambassador to the Netherlands sends a loud signal of support to the European far right.

Coincidence? We don’t think so. https://t.co/hl35qoHFoL

— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) July 31, 2020

Dude, those were fucking Nazis.

— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) July 30, 2020

It’s Tisha B’Av, and Trump’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Pete Hoekstra (@usambnl), went to a LITERAL graveyard for nazis today & said it’s “a terrible reminder of the cost of going to war and why we must always work towards peace” – note how he didn’t mention the genocide.

— 🌈micala // bIm🌈 (@MicalaGenae) July 30, 2020

Is there anything more quintessentially “Trump Era” than the American Ambassador to the Netherlands choosing the graves of Nazis as the symbol of the cost of war instead of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam? https://t.co/NuygOpPctM

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) July 30, 2020

you could’ve gone 5 miles east to Venray and visited Allied soldiers’ graves but that would’ve entailed a 10-minute car ride, so I get it pic.twitter.com/V3NelFn5Tu

— Elliott Vanskike (@twonnet) July 30, 2020

Hell of a way to change the narrative, Pete:

“On the day of John Lewis’ funeral, Republican mourns Nazis”

— Lolly (@dlian3) July 30, 2020

“Walking in a nazi graveyard reminded me of just how precious life is” is frankly an unsurprising take from a republican in 2020

— TwoWheelsDC (@TwoWheelsDC) July 30, 2020

Leave it to the Trump appointee to tend to the Nazi graves.

— Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) July 30, 2020

Yeah man, the real tragedy is all the dead Nazis. Great work, Pete.

— 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 (@shortnormaltrip) July 30, 2020

We don’t want peace with Nazis.

I thought we already had this conversation. https://t.co/HiqyqsD1pS

— Matt Rogers 🎙️ (@Politidope) July 31, 2020

Literally mourning Nazis. https://t.co/ANUaN0blQQ

— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) July 30, 2020

Those “German soldiers” as you call them, they’re responsible for massacring 2063 Jews in my family’s village in 1942. This is but one memorial to the SIX MILLION+ they slaughtered! You are an embarrassment to our country!!! pic.twitter.com/TGTq4eQvKz

— Moms_Robin 🌼🖊🐶🕊 (@sippcin) July 31, 2020

If you want a reminder of the cost of war, you walk the cemeteries holding the heroes, Arlington or those of our allies. You don’t honor the fucking monsters we fought against. This isn’t patriotic at all

— Kid T (@IamIamkidt) July 30, 2020

Image by Roel Wijnants via Flickr and a CC license