Dubai's MBC slammed for Hitler advert

Lobbyist group lambasts Middle East broadcaster for use of Nazi dictator to promote movie roster

By Daniel Shane
  • Sunday, 22 September 2013 5:23 PM
MBC Action, one of MBC's English language channels

MBC Action, one of MBC's English language channels

Dubai-based broadcaster MBC has been slammed for using images of Adolf Hitler to promote its roster of movie programming, according to a US lobbyist group.

The Saudi Arabian-owned free-to-air network, which was the first of its kind in the region, uses clips of the Nazi dictator taken from the film ‘Inglourious Basterds’.

Arabic subtitles displayed below Hitler read: “Look at the achievements of MBC Action. They will control the entire region.  They are preparing for a campaign called ‘September to Remember’,” the Anti-Defamation League claimed.

ADL, a New York-based lobbyist group which opposes anti-Semitism, urged the network to take the advert off the air.

“This offensive and outrageous campaign trivializes the Holocaust by turning Hitler into a cartoonish poster child,” said Abraham Foxman, ADL national director. “Why would a Saudi media outlet want to associate itself with one of history’s most demonic mass murderers?”

A spokesperson for MBC told Arabian Business that the advert had only been broadcast on one channel and had now been removed.

Two years ago the founder of Dubai-based fitness firm found himself in hot water in similar circumstances after the company spurred outraged by using images of a notorious Nazi concentration camp in advertising campaign.

The Circuit Factory was blasted by users on social media sites Twitter and Facebook after posting an image of the Auschwitz death camp with the slogan; ‘Kiss your calories goodbye.’

An estimated 3m people were killed at the World War II concentration camp.

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Please post responsibly. Commenter Rules

Posted by: Akram Monday, 23 September 2013 3:01 PM[UAE] - UAE

People coming here talking about why dont we worry about the problems in Palestine and the Palestinians are very short sighted and naive. You obviosuly dont see that half of the problems in Palestine is because some people make a living out of keeping it this way. Arabs who tell us to shame and blame Israel have themselves have commited far worse crimes against their own people; when they ignore that they get treated the same way in their own countries.

Why dont you ask yourself what are you doing about Palestine, what are Palestinian leaderships or what are arab leaderships doing about it?? Besides blaming all their failures and crimes on Israel and nothing but dividing the Palestinians further and interrupting the peace process for the sake of their own personal agendas?

How can the conditions of Palestinians improve when they are divided among each other and being pushed around by arab nations run by tyrants who find better interests in keeping Palestine an existent issue?

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Posted by: MKS Monday, 23 September 2013 8:41 AM[UAE] - USA

Does any body in this world OBJECT TO THE TREATMENT
THE PALESTINIANS RECIEVE ON THE HANDS OF ISRAEL
AND ITS ARMY POLICE..............ETC.
WHER IS THE WORLD JUSTCE, OR THE WORLD TURN ITS
FACE AROUND AND PRETEND NOT TO SEE THE ISRAELI
ATTROCITIES..........................HAAAAAAAAAA.

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Posted by: Monkey Tennis Sunday, 22 September 2013 7:56 PM[UAE] - UAE

"We shall continue to make disturbances ... in Arabia. Let us think as men and let us see in these peoples at best lacquered half-apes who are anxious to experience the lash." Adolf Hitler; Mein Kampf. He wasn't talking about the Jews. Very odd choice for an Arabic broadcaster.

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Posted by: SA1 Sunday, 22 September 2013 7:55 PM[UAE] - UAE

And they were perfectly fine with the ?Inglourious Basterds? movie which also depicted hitler in a cartoonish character?

Forget Hallucost...they should worry more about the livings and the terrible state of living they are in....the people of Palestine.

The world wars saw many millions of death of all kinds of people, and here are few who wants to just make it about Jews.

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Posted by: RAH Sunday, 22 September 2013 6:26 PM[UAE] - Kuwait

Hmmmm.. So would ADL work on eradicating Islamophobia just as hard as they are working for anti-semitism?

If not then stop screaming beyond your jurisdiction - it just makes you look stupid to us here.

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