A former world boxing champion has created controversy by posting photos with his smiling fiancée during a visit to Auschwitz.
In the footage, which he later deleted, ex-IBF champion Jamie McDonnell posed all smiles in selfies with his girlfriend during his visit to the Memorial at the former concentration and extermination camp where 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered.
On one of his selfies, he had notably posted in caption: “beautiful excursion of the day to Auschwitz”. Something to scandalize internet users who have not failed to respond to him and criticize him. One of them responding to him: “It’s a concentration camp, not Disneyland”.
Another Twitter user quipped, “I don’t think the term adorable is quite appropriate for a description of Auschwitz. It is also best not to pose like this in a place where people have experienced hell, suffering, torture and death. But hey, at least it opened your eyes.
OK, sorry for a second tweet on this, but I’ve just seen boxer Jamie McDonnell’s replies to ppl who told him to take down his smiling concentration camp selfies.
Who in the world thinks of Auschwitz as just “a tourist place”? What sickening human beings these two are. pic.twitter.com/0WBkZtGfP9
— ♀️Jennifer Gingrich KPSS (@fem_mb) February 13, 2022
Jamie McDonnell initially tried to retaliate by explaining himself. “Obviously that means a great day with her in Poland, and the place is an eye-opener, refresh yourself!” or “I’m on the weekend with my girlfriend, I have the right to smile, but I understand what happened there, relax a little.”
As the criticisms and messages continued, the boxer then decided to permanently delete the photos that Internet users had carefully captured from his account. His Twitter account was also deleted.
IBF bantamweight world champion in 2013 after beating Mexican Julia Ceja, Jamie McDonnell (29 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss) was dismissed a few months later by the same federation. He retired in May 2021.