In Oswiecim, Poland, on January 27th, Auschwitz survivors were joined by world leaders to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp by Soviet troops, marking one of the final gatherings of those who endured its horrors.
Attending the anniversary at the camp were German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and other dignitaries. They were there to listen to survivors recount one of humanity's worst atrocities rather than deliver speeches.
Israel sent Education Minister Yoav Kisch to the event. Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles would honor the occasion, stating, "it has a profound impact on the soul, bringing home both the scale of the horrors and the lessons that must be learned for eternity."
President Duda highlighted the significance, noting, "we Poles, on whose land the Germans built this concentration camp, are now the guardians of memory." Remembrance of Nazi crimes has become a key political topic amid the rise of far-right parties in Europe.
Elon Musk made a controversial statement at a rally, drawing criticism from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for downplaying German guilt for the Holocaust. Musk himself visited Auschwitz a year ago.
Auschwitz spokesperson Pawel Sawicki highlighted the importance of listening to survivors, acknowledging that this anniversary could be the last with a visible group. A commemoration in a tent at the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. (1500 GMT).
Over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, perished at Auschwitz through gas chambers, starvation, and disease. Approximately 3 million of Poland's 3.2 million Jews were among the victims of the Holocaust.
Hungarian , a 92-year-old survivor, warned in a recent interview that the world still has not fully grasped the lessons of the Holocaust, lamenting ongoing cruelty towards different ethnicities.