Arnold Schwarzenegger caused a stir on social media after signing a guest book at the Auschwitz Museum with his iconic Terminator catchphrase.
The Austrian actor’s visit to the museum in Poland comes after he was crowned with the inaugural Award for Fighting Hatred in June from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation.
Following his visit, the museum shared a photo on Twitter, showing that the 75-year-old signed their guestbook with the line, “I’ll be back” from the Terminator franchise.
His usage of the famous line ignited criticism from Twitter users who called the gesture “flippant” and “tacky.”
Amid the mounting backlash, the Auschwitz Museum posted on the social media platform an explanation for the actor’s signature.
“This visit was planned to be relatively short. The inscription was meant to be a promise to return for another and more in-depth visit,” the organisation wrote.
Arnold visited the memorial to “honour all the victims of the camp and deepen his knowledge about history that would help him fight against prejudices nowadays,” the museum said.
After he was announced as the recipient of the newly created award earlier this year, the. actor wrote in a statement about witnessing hatred that “spun out of control,” Variety reported.
“I am witness to the ruins of a country broken by the Nazis,” he wrote in a statement at the time.
“I saw firsthand how this hatred spun out of control and I share these painful memories with the world in the hopes of preventing future tragedies and educating soldiers about personal responsibility. I stand with the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation and their mission of education to ensure NEVER AGAIN,” he added.
The Hollywood star was born in 1947 in a small village near Graz, Austria, called Thal and immigrated to the United States at the age of 21.