US TV host Jay Leno compares Sochi Olympics to Nazi Germany
US television host Jay Leno has made a stark comparison between the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Nazi Germany.
Speaking to guest Meredith Vieira, who will be present with NBC’s team at Sochi, about the games, Leno made the remarks.
“I have mixed feelings, with all the stuff going on in Russia with [President Vladimir] Putin and the anti-gay legislation,” Vieira said. “There was a lot of debate, internally … at the end of the day it’s about the athletes. But I really hope that people demonstrate there.”
Then Leno went on to make the strong comparison, saying: “I don’t know how [Russia’s law is] different from — I mean, this is how it started in Nazi Germany — ‘Oh, the Jews, let’s put them over here,’” he said. “It makes me uncomfortable.”
Germany hosted the Olympic Games in 1936.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in June signed a law which bans the promotion of homosexuality to minors. There has since been an international outcry surrounding the safety of LGBT Russians, and athletes travelling to Sochi in February for the Winter games.
The video is available to view below.
