School and pupil apologise for TikTok video mocking Holocaust victims while TikTok itself does absolutely nothing

A pupil and her school have apologised after she posted a video on the online platform Tik Tok that mocked Holocaust victims.

The video, which we are not showing in order to protect the child’s identity, featured the schoolgirl making gestures to music as the caption joked: “What is bald and 100 metres long? The queue outside aushtwich [sic]”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism brought the video to the school’s attention, and the pupil has expressed her “deep remorse” and “offered a sincere apology” as she removed the video, with a third party who shared the video on Twitter also having removed it. The schoolgirl will also be writing letters of apology to those who have complained.

Campaign Against Antisemitism applauds the school for its swift action and the pupil for recognising the problem and learning from the incident. We shall not be naming the school.

Regrettably, while the pupil showed the good sense to take responsibility, apologise and remove the video, TikTok, the online platform particularly popular with impressionable children, did not show similar acumen. This is just the latest in a series of videos mocking Holocaust victims and survivors found on the platform, and so far the company has refused to take action.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We applaud the pupil and her school for taking swift action to remove the video and apologise, but we condemn TikTok for allowing grotesque memes to continue to circulate among impressionable minors. How long will it take before social media companies begin to take social responsibility for what they permit to be published in their names?”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.