Jewish advocacy groups have protested after an American reporter erroneously referred to an uprising against a “Polish and Nazi regime” during World War II.

While reporting from the Polish capital on Wednesday, Andrea Mitchell, a foreign affairs correspondent for the MSNBC television network, suggested that a World War II-era uprising by Jews in the Warsaw ghetto was staged against “the Polish and Nazi regime.”

The American Jewish Committee's Warsaw-based Central Europe office has responded in a tweet that “it is beyond the pale to assert Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto fought against ‘Polish and Nazi regimes.’”

The organisation added: “This is basics of history: they rose up against the German oppressor. Journalists should do their homework before speaking to millions.”

It is beyond the pale to assert Jews in the #WarsawGhetto fought "against Polish & Nazi regimes." This is basics of history: they rose up against the German oppressor. Journalists should do their homework before speaking to millions.@mitchellreports https://t.co/qCvWfw9Zyx — AJC Central Europe (@AJC_CE) February 14, 2019

Meanwhile, the Forum of Polish Jews has tweeted: “Andrea Mitchell of NBC/MSNBC, in a report from Warsaw, has said that the Warsaw ghetto uprising was fought against ‘the Polish and Nazi regime.’ What can one say about such a gigantic, shameless instance of ignorance?! This is an absolute scandal!”

Andrea Mitchell z NBC/MSNBC, powiedziała w korespondencji z Warszawy, że powstanie w getcie warszawskim było walką "przeciwko POLSKIEMU i NAZISTOWSKIEMU reżimowi". Cóż można powiedzieć na taką gigantyczną, bezwstydną ignorancję?! To absolutny SKANDAL! https://t.co/VrKTeeG20E — Forum Zydow Polskich (@ForumFZP) February 14, 2019

The Polish embassy in Washington has corrected Mitchell in a tweet to say that “the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was a heroic act against the German Nazis who established the ghetto and carried out the Holocaust.”

The Polish embassy also said that during World War II “Poland was attacked and occupied by the German Nazi regime.”

Thank you @mitchellreports @MSNBC for reporting in Warsaw. However, the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was a heroic act against the German Nazis who established the ghetto & carried out the #Holocaust. During WWII Poland was attacked &occupied by the German Nazi regime. #WordsMatter — Embassy of Poland US (@PolishEmbassyUS) February 13, 2019

(gs/pk)

Source: Polish Radio, Twitter