Whoopi Goldberg Apologises for Saying Holocaust Was 'Not About Race' Amid Massive Public Outcry

Actress Whoopie Goldberg has apologised for the hurt she caused after her Holocaust remarks on "The View" triggered a fiery backlash from Jewish organisations in America.

"On today's show, I said the Holocaust 'is not about race, but about man's inhumanity to man'. I should have said it is about both. As Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti-Defamation League shared, 'The Holocaust was about the Nazi's systematic annihilation of the Jewish people - who they deemed to be an inferior race'. I stand corrected".

The dispute erupted on Monday as the panel on "The View" was discussing the recent controversy around the graphic novel "Maus" - the story of a Holocaust survivor that was banned by a school district in Tennessee for profanity and nudity.

"If you're going to do this, then let's be truthful about it. Because the Holocaust isn't about race. No, it's not about race", Whoopie stated.

When her co-hosts told Goldberg she was wrong, and the Holocaust was about "white supremacy", the actress stated that both victims and perpetrators were "two groups of white people".

"You're missing the point. The minute you turn it into race, it goes down this alley. Let's talk about it for what it is. It's how people treat each other. It's a problem. It doesn't matter if you're black or white because black, white, Jews, Italians, everybody eats each other", Goldberg said.

Her statements led to a massive outcry from Jewish activists. The executive of the group StopAntisemitism.org called the comments "untrue and reprehensible" and accused her of "gaslighting" Jews. The Anti-Defamation League condemned Goldberg's remarks, warning about the dangers of "Holocaust distortion". National political director of the Republican Jewish Coalition Sam Markstein also blasted the actress, saying "Whoopi should stick to what she does best: appearing in movies that flop at the box office".