STEPHEN FRY - FRY SORRY FOR AUSCHWITZ REMARK

FRY SORRY FOR AUSCHWITZ REMARK

British funnyman STEPHEN FRY has apologised after outraging Polish citizens by implying the country played a role in the Holocaust.
The writer/actor was taking part in a feature on Poland's Law and Justice Party for Britain's Channel 4 News last week (begs12Oct09) when he referred to the location of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz.
He told viewers, "Let's face it, there has been a history in Poland of right-wing Catholicism, which has been deeply disturbing for those of us who know a little history, and remember which side of the border Auschwitz was on."
The remarks sparked anger from the Polish embassy and criticism on various news websites - prompting an apology from Fry on Monday (19Oct09).
In a posting on his official blog, he writes: "I offer no excuse. I seemed to imply that the Polish people had been responsible for the most infamous of all the death factories of the Third Reich. I didn’t even really at the time notice the importance of what I had said, so gave myself no opportunity instantly to retract the statement. It was a rubbishy (sic), cheap and offensive remark that I have been regretting ever since.
"I take this opportunity to apologise now. I said a stupid, thoughtless and fatuous thing. It detracted from and devalued my argument, such as it was, and it outraged and offended a large group of people for no very good reason. I am sorry in all directions."