Holocaust denial group advertises in two S.F. BART stations

Citing First Amendment concerns, BART today defended accepting an ad from the Institute for Historical Review, a known Holocaust-denying organization that has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The ad, which will be displayed on digital boards in San Francisco’s Montgomery and Powell BART stations through September, depicts a map of the world overlaid with the words “History Matters,” along with the name of the group.

BART spokesperson Alicia Trost said that as a governmental agency, BART cannot reject ads based solely on the identity of the advertiser. It can, however, refuse ads based on language and appearance, and since the ad in question contained no offensive imagery or text, Trost said, BART was obligated to accept it. BART did demand that the group remove its web address from the ad.

“They removed the URL, and at that point our hands were tied,” Trost said. “If they had used fighting words, that would be different, but they didn’t. The law is clear. We cannot deny this ad.”

She added that BART does not in any way endorse the ad or its message. The $6,000 ad buy was the first ever by the IHR.

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