The world came together on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, with some of the few remaining Holocaust survivors attending solemn ceremonies at the site of the former Nazi death camp.
Auschwitz, located in Poland, was the largest of the extermination camps and has become a symbol of Nazi Germany's genocide of six million European Jews. Between 1940 and 1945, over one million people perished at Auschwitz alone, including Jews and more than 100,000 non-Jewish victims.
The United Nations has designated the day of its liberation as Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to honor the victims and reflect on the atrocities committed.
Approximately 50 survivors, along with dozens of European leaders—including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish President Andrzej Duda—gathered outside the gates of Auschwitz II-Birkenau to commemorate the anniversary.
Pawel Sawicki, spokesperson for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial, emphasized that there would be no political speeches during the event. Instead, leaders would listen to the voices of survivors. \"It is clear to all of us that this is the last milestone anniversary where we can have a group of survivors that will be visible who can be present at the site,\" he said. \"In 10 years it will not happen, and for as long as we can, we should listen to the voices of survivors, their testimonies, their personal stories.\"
President Duda remarked, \"We Poles, on whose land the Germans built this concentration camp, are today the guardians of memory.\"
Ahead of the commemoration, President Macron posted on X, stating, \"Let us fight tirelessly against antisemitism and hatred, in the name of all those who perished. Let us be the memory of their memory.\"
Survivors around the world have spoken about the necessity of preserving the memory of the Holocaust, especially as the number of living witnesses dwindles. They have also expressed concerns about rising hatred and extremism globally, fearing that history could repeat itself.
Remembrance of the crimes committed under Nazi ideology has become a pressing political issue in recent years amid the rise of far-right parties across Europe.
On Saturday, billionaire Elon Musk, high-profile adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, made a video address to supporters of Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which is polling second ahead of the February 23 election on a platform that includes downplaying historical guilt for the Holocaust. \"Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents,\" Musk said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded to Musk's remarks, saying they sounded ominous. \"The words we heard from the main actors of the AfD rally about 'Great Germany' and 'the need to forget German guilt for Nazi crimes' sounded all too familiar and ominous. Especially only hours before the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz,\" Tusk stated.
Musk's initial endorsement of the AfD last month drew strong rebukes, including from Chancellor Scholz, who commented that the tech billionaire's support of the far-right \"endangers\" European democracy.
Extremism has been on the rise in recent years. The attack on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, fueled by far-right extremists, highlighted the increasingly violent nature of political extremism. In some countries, such as the U.S. and Britain, Islamophobic incidents have also increased since October 7, 2023, when the Israel-Hamas conflict began.
In an interview with Reuters, 92-year-old Holocaust survivor Eva Szepesi warned the world: \"Don't let history repeat itself.\" Regarding the rise of extremism and right-wing populism, she expressed, \"It is terrifying. It's definitely terrifying that it is like this. And that's why we have to do something about it in the very beginning.\"
Facing this trend of extremism, United Nations agencies have urged global action. In June 2023, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2686, calling on the international community to condemn and publicly denounce hate speech, racism, and acts of extremism.
(With input from agencies)
Reference(s):
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