UN's Albanese claims Jews in Nazi camps were called ‘Muslims,’ distorts history of 'antisemitism'

During World War II, Jews being transported to gas chambers in Nazi concentration camps were colloquially referred to as "the Muslims" by some accounts, claimed UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese during an interview with the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of State Workers. Albanese explained that the term "Muselmann," German for "Muslim," was used at places like Auschwitz to describe prisoners in extreme exhaustion or suffering severe symptoms of starvation.

However, it was not a Nazi racial classification targeting Jews, and prisoners labeled as Muselmänner often died soon after or were selected for execution.

Albanese argued that antisemitism, originally coined in 1879 by German journalist Wilhelm Marr, initially encompassed discrimination against broader Semitic peoples, rather than Jews specifically. She asserted that as the largest Semitic group in Europe, the term evolved to overlap with anti-Judaism, before later specifically targeting Jews. While Albanese acknowledged that hatred of Jews "as Jews" exists and is "extremely serious," she cautioned against conflating this with criticism of the State of Israel.

Despite her statements, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance clarifies that "antisemitism" has historically always referred to prejudice against Jews, not Semitic peoples. Merriam-Webster defines antisemitism as "hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group." Albanese's comments about the history of antisemitism have drawn criticism, with organizations like Combat Antisemitism Movement and UN Watch pointing out her tendency to shift blame away from Jewish suffering and toward criticisms of Israel.