Houston, TX, January 30, 2015—The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomes Galveston City Council Member Norman Pappous’ admission that a video depicting city officials as Hitler and Nazis should never have been shown at a public meeting.

After ADL issued a public statement calling the council member’s video insensitive and inappropriate, and spoke to Pappous about it, the council member sent a letter to ADL Regional Chair Martin B. Cominsky saying “it was not my intention to cause pain to anyone” with the video and “a public city council workshop is clearly an inappropriate venue for any expression that may unnecessarily result in pain or anguish.”

As Cominsky said in a statement released January 29, “invoking the Holocaust and comparing city officials to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis is never appropriate and never acceptable.  Invoking the Holocaust or Hitler is an affront to the Galveston City officials involved, to Jews, other victims of hate and genocide, and to many Americans who fought bravely against the Nazis.”

Cominsky added today “We are comfortable that Council Member Pappous fully understands how hurtful such comparisons can be and that they only serve to stifle constructive dialogue.”

For more information or to set up an interview, call Dena Marks at 713-627-3490, ext. 234, or via cell at 832-567-8843.