Vandals paint Holocaust-denial messages at site of Auschwitz-Birkenau
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum condemned recent vandalism that took place at the site of the former Nazi concentration camp.
The “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate at Auschwitz with the bitter irony of the German words: “Work Will Set You Free.” Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
“Such [an] incident is, above all, an outrageous attack on the symbol of one of the greatest tragedies in human history and an extremely painful blow to the memory of all the victims of the German Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau camp,” the museum said. “We hope that the person or persons who committed this outrageous act will be found and punished.”
It was discovered on Tuesday that nine wooden barracks were spray-painted with antisemitic messages in English and German—“two references to the Old Testament, often used by anti-Semites, and [Holocaust] denial slogans,” stated the museum.
The graffiti was reported to the police, and video surveillance from the scene is being reviewed.
The spray-painted messages will be removed after the police have gathered all “necessary documentation” from the site of the vandalism, according to the museum, while also asking the public to contact them with any information pertaining to the incident.
It added that funding for the security system at the Auschwitz memorial is provided by the museum’s budget, which “unfortunately suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan reacted to the news about the antisemitic graffiti recently discovered at the site of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
“We are very saddened by the attack on Auschwitz, the authentic location where over a million Jews were murdered, and strongly condemn the willful vandalism of the barracks there with antisemitic and Holocaust denial inscriptions. This incident, at such a major and significant site of the atrocities of the Holocaust, constitutes an attack not only on the memory of the victims, but also on the survivors and any person with a conscience. It is also yet another painful reminder that more must be done to raise awareness about the Holocaust and to educate the public and the younger generation regarding the dangers of antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion.”
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