Documentary screening on hold after FvD politician’s Holocaust comments

The premiere of a documentary about Forum for Democracy (FvD) MP Gideon van Meijeren Monday in Royal Theater Tuschinski is canceled, cinema company Pathé reported on Twitter. The cancellation comes after controversy about the politician’s comparison between vaccination policies and the persecution of Jewish people during WWII.

Visitors and employees pointed out to the cinema chain that Van Meijeren had made various statements about the Holocaust that were hurtful to victims and their families. This did not fit with the memory of the theater’s namesake Abraham Tuschinski, who was himself murdered during the Holocaust, according to Pathé.

In het licht van de nagedachtenis van Abraham Tuschinski, die zelf tijdens de Holocaust is vermoord, vinden we het niet passend de première van deze documentaire te vertonen. We hebben de organisator van dit evenement daarom verzocht op zoek te gaan naar een andere locatie. 3/3

— Pathé Nederland (@Pathenederland) March 12, 2022

The cinema chain says it was unable to screen the documentary, “GIDEON,” prior to renting out the hall. The documentary would premiere on Monday at the same time as another documentary. In retrospect, Pathé says it did not inquire sufficiently into the documentaries’ content.

The other documentary, “Generation C - A Cry For Help,” is about the mental health of students and young people during the coronavirus pandemic. Pathé has asked the organizer of the event to also look for another location.

The documentary “GIDEON” is an "in-depth search for answers about vaccination policies and vaccines against Covid-19," according to the description. The blurb promises the documentary “will still find answers that Gideon did not receive in the Tweede Kamer." The screening in the Tuschinski theater would be a one-off, and after the premiere in Amsterdam the documentary could be seen on the blckbx platform.

Van Meijeren was previously criticized after claims about the coronavirus policy in which he cited WWII. Among other comments, he in September compared restrictions against unvaccinated people to the treatment of the Jewish community during the war.