Nine pavilions at Auschwitz death camp vandalized with anti-Semitic phrases

On Tuesday, nine windowless wooden pavilions that housed hundreds of prisoners in an Auschwitz extermination camp were marked with anti-Semitic Holocaust-denying phrases and slogans., He said Auschwitz Memorial and Museum–Birkenau.

The spray-painted vandalism occurred in the buildings of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the death camp run by the Nazis in Poland. There, about a million people were murdered, of which more than 90% were Jewish, according to the museum. About 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

Police have yet to make any arrests, although they are examining security tapes and scanning for graffiti. “This incident -an offense against the commemorative site- It is above all a scandalous attack on the symbol of one of the greatest tragedies in the history of mankind and an extremely painful blow to the memory of all the victims of the German Nazi camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.The museum said in a statement.

The vandalism at Birkenau is the latest example of the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. An investigation by the European Fundamental Rights Agency revealed that 81% of young European Jews say anti-Semitism is a problem in their respective countries. 44% said they had been victims of anti-Semitic harassment in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Anti-Semitism has been prolific during the pandemic. Anti-vaccine and anti-jugular demonstrators carried the stars of david yellow, which they believe represents the victimization of public health mandates. Several Holocaust museums and memorials in the United States have been disfigured over the past two years in St. Petersburg, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Tulsa; Portland, Oregon; and Albuquerque.

A report published by the European Commission on the rise of anti-Semitism during the pandemic in France and Germany discovered an increase in online activity. Hateful content on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram has increased seven-fold in French and 13-fold in German, according to the report. There were 585 incidents in Austria in 2020 – an increase of 6.4% – which was a record.

In August, Polish government passed law that would ban restitution to Holocaust survivors and their descendants, which allowed them to claim property confiscated under the Nazi and Communist regimes. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Yair Lapid, he said that the measure “borders on negationism”.

The European Union announced on Tuesday a new strategy to fight anti-Semitism in Europe. The plan aims to increase awareness and education about Jewish life and the Holocaust and provide funding to communities to help them better monitor, report and eliminate hate online.

The vandalism at Auschwitz II-Birkenau occurred on Tuesday morning, according to the museum. Nine barracks of what used to be the accommodation of male prisoners have been marked with phrases in German and English. The museum said that there were “two references to the Old Testament, often used by anti-Semites, and slogans of negation”.

Museum officials ask anyone who has witnessed the vandalism to contact them. They are also asking visitors who got there before noon on Tuesday to send any footage they may have taken in the men’s barracks area and near the main entrance, also known as Puerta de la Muerte.

Security at the 170-hectare compound, which is “constantly expanding”, according to the museum, has become difficult in recent times. Security is funded from the museum’s budget, which was affected by the reduction in the number of paying visitors during the pandemic.

The graffiti will remain in the barracks until the police “have gathered all the necessary documents”. The museum hopes investigators can resolve the case quickly. “We hope that the person (s) who committed this outrageous act will be found and punished.”, Said museum officials.

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