King Charles makes historic visit to Auschwitz on Holocaust Memorial Day
King Charles is the first ever British monarch to visit Auschwitz, the site of the notorious Nazi concentration camp, as he made a ‘deeply personal’ trip on Holocaust Memorial Day.
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King Charles III arrived in Poland on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) and expressed his concern over the rise of anti-Semitism around the world in a speech delivered at the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow before he attended the commemoration.
“In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife, and has witnessed the dangerous re-emergence of anti-Semitism, there can be no more important message – especially as the United Kingdom holds the Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance,” King Charles said.
“As the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders, and on those of generations yet unborn”.
King Charles, 76, is the first British monarch to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau.
He visited the Jewish Community Centre, meeting survivors and volunteers, as well as unveiling a plaque.
The Monarch was invited to Poland for the 80th anniversary of its liberation alongside foreign monarchs, leaders and Holocaust survivors.
He will attend a service at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum and memorial.
It comes after the King hosted a reception ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day at Buckingham Palace on January 27.
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‘REMIND THE WORLD OF THE EVIL’: SURVIVOR SPEAKS OUT
Australian-Israeli businessman and Holocaust survivor Sir Frank Lowy, who lives in Israel, attended the 80th commemoration and said his life changed when his father Hugo “disappeared in the ether” when he was just 13 years old, murdered at Auschwitz.
Sir Frank said the commemoration must “remind the world of the evil” and “bring the issue of hate to the fore”.
He made the comments during an interview with Polish Television reporter Witold Tabaka that aired ahead of the commemoration at Auschwitz.
“In this beautiful world of ours we can make it better for most of us most of the time … and at the same time not to forget what has happened,” Sir Frank said.
The 94-year-old said lessons must be learned about “how bad and terrible anti-Semitism is, we need to respect each other”.
Speaking on the Israel-Gaza conflict he said, “We will not give up”.
“We will be victorious in our land and we are home for the Jewish people forever and ever and ever,” Sir Frank said.
ABC, SBS SKIP AUSCHWITZ ANNIVERSARY
Australia’s national broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, have not sent TV crews to Poland to cover the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz.
TV crews from Nine, Seven and Sky News Australia will be on the ground to cover the event, as well as print and digital reporters from News Corp and Nine Entertainment mastheads.
A spokesman for SBS told The Australian it was not sending a TV news crew to Poland, “however we are covering it extensively through a number of features”. The ABC did not respond.
It comes as Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus labelled attacks on the government over its handling of anti-Semitism as “grotesque” and said it is not an issue that belongs to the “left or the right”.
Mr Dreyfus and Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in Poland on Monday AEDT and visited the Jewish Community Centre of Krakow ahead of the 80th commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp that took place on January 27, 1945 with leaders from all over the world to attend.
The government has come under attacks from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and members of the Jewish community who have accused the government of failing to take a strong stance on anti-Semitism after repeated attacks in Australia against Jews and for the government allowing Ms Wong to represent the nation at the historic event.
“This is an appropriate time and this is an appropriate place to actually reject attempts to politicise the Holocaust or to politicise anti-Semitism,” Mr Dreyfus said on Monday.
“Combating anti-Semitism, remembering the Holocaust does not belong to the left or the right, it does not belong to the progressive side of Australian politics or the conservative side of Australian politics.
“It’s been grotesque … to see the rise of anti-Semitism since October the 7th but it’s been equally grotesque to see attempts being made to politicise either commemoration of the Holocaust or combating anti-Semitism, we need to get politics out of this”.
Mr Dreyfus said his great-grandmother was among the one million Jews killed at Auschwitz, she died on October 14, 1942.
Mr Dutton last week said Ms Wong was the “most inappropriate person” to attend the commemoration because she had “trashed” Australia’s reputation with Israel.
“Penny Wong has real issues in relation to this issue. The relationship with Israel has been trashed,” Mr Dutton said.
“Penny Wong can’t go to Israel and Mark Dreyfus was there under sufferance and frankly was shown some courtesy but I suspect having been to Israel recently myself, I don’t think he would have been receiving the warmest of welcomes.”
Speaking in Krakow, Ms Wong said the focus should be firmly focused on the horrors of the Holocaust and for the nation to join together in combating anti-Semitism.
“This is not a day for politics, it’s not a time for politics, this is a time to remember the murder of six million people, six million Jews and to say never again and that’s why we’re here,” she said.
“I think if we really mean never again then we need to work together across politics and across faiths and I have confidence Australians can do that”.
Many world leaders including King Charles III, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be at the service on Monday afternoon local time (Tuesday, 2am AEDT).
Sky News Australia will broadcast a replay of the commemoration at 3pm Tuesday.
SURVIVORS PAY TRIBUTE AS COMMEMORATIONS BEGIN
The world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Monday, with some of the few remaining survivors attending ceremonies at the site of the notorious Nazi death camp.
Auschwitz was the largest of the extermination camps and has become a symbol of Nazi Germany’s genocide of six million European Jews, one million of whom died at the site between 1940 and 1945, along with more than 100,000 non-Jews.
On Monday morning (local time), Polish President Andrzej Duda laid flowers at the site alongside survivors, some wearing scarfs in the blue-and-white stripes of their death camp uniforms.
Around 50 survivors are then expected at the main commemoration from 2am AEST outside the gates of Auschwitz II-Birkenau alongside dozens of leaders, including Britain’s King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz are both expected, as well as Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch.
- with AFP.
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Originally published as King Charles makes historic visit to Auschwitz on Holocaust Memorial Day
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