US Army investigating officer, a popular social media influencer, for TikTok video featuring Holocaust joke

(JTA) — A U.S. Army officer who also is popular on TikTok has been suspended after posting a video in which he jokes about the Holocaust.

Nathan Freihofer, a second lieutenant, has 3 million followers on TikTok, a video-sharing social media platform that has come under fire for the proliferation of anti-Semitic and Holocaust denying posts.

“If you get offended, get the f*** out because it’s a joke,” Freihofer said in the video after telling a Holocaust joke.

The Army is investigating the video, which was posted Friday. The 23-year-old soldier, who is assigned to the 18th Airborne Corps, is known as a social media influencer.

“The statements made in the video are not indicative of the values we live by, and there is no place for racism or bigotry in our Army or our country,” Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said in a tweet.

The tweet said Freihofer has been suspended of all leadership duties effective immediately pending the results of the investigation.

The military’s “Think, Type, Post” online media policy reminds soldiers that “everyone be treated with dignity and respect.”

The video has been removed from Freihofer’s account, according to the Military Times, and his Instagram account has been set to private.

Tik Tok announced last month that it is working “to counter the spread of hate on our platform.”  The statement said that: “We have a zero tolerance stance on organized hate groups and those associated with them, like accounts that spread or are linked to white supremacy or nationalism, male supremacy, anti-Semitism, and other hate-based ideologies. In addition, we remove race-based harassment and the denial of violent tragedies, such as the Holocaust and slavery.”

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