Auschwitz Memorial Condemns Michael Rapaport for Posting ‘Fake, AI-Generated’ Image of Concentration Camp: ‘Disrespects Victims’

Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

The Auschwitz Memorial and Museum in Poland condemned actor Michael Rapaport this week after he posted a “fake, AI-generated” image of victims in the concentration camp.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Rapaport published a supposed photo of a prisoner playing the violin in the concentration camp, along with a 134-word backstory to the image.

While Rapaport’s post received nearly 9,000 likes and 1,200 shares, the image and backstory were soon found to be fake, with the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum releasing a statement on Sunday evening condemning the “dangerous distortion.”

“Publishing fake, AI-generated images of Auschwitz is not only a dangerous distortion. Such fabrication disrespects victims and harasses their memory,” the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum declared. “If you see such posts, please don’t share them. Instead, follow Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz, where every name, every photo, and every story is based on rigorous historical research and the utmost respect for the truth.”

The Memorial and Museum also fact-checked the “fake” backstory that Rapaport had posted, pointing out a number of errors and historical inaccuracies:

The story attached also seems fake:

a) “Henek” is a misspelled form of “Heniek” which comes from the Polish name Henryk. No surname is added, which should be the case as the story indicates he was a known musician and a survivor.

b) Orchestras at Auschwitz did not play “while men, women, and children were marched to their deaths”. Their main job was to play when columns of prisoners walked out to work and marched back to the camp

c) Men’s orchestra played in the men’s camp – a story of a girl walking past the men’s orchestra is very much not probable.

Despite the statement, Rapaport has yet to remove the post, which remains on Facebook as of this reporting and continues to receive comments and shares from users believing it to be real.