Auschwitz survivors return to camp as they and world leaders mark 80th anniversary of its liberation – live
Auschwitz survivors return to camp as they and world leaders mark 80th anniversary of its liberation – live
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The Auschwitz anniversary is starting just now with a morning commemoration at the “wall of death” at the end of the block 11’s yard, attended by Auschwitz survivors and Polish president Andrzej Duda. We are carrying the Auschwitz museum’s live stream at the top of this blog.
![[A watchtower stands next to blocks at the former Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp on the 80th anniversary of its liberation.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/085ed6df70756a83caaa1f127b5e0b8bfd52d2e9/0_77_5500_3300/master/5500.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Europe and the world will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz today, putting the increasingly chaotic global politics on pause for a brief moment to reflect on the darkest moments of our history.
But in a growingly polarised and aggressive world, the ceremony will also for many be a call for action and renewal of our collective memory. As the last survivors inevitably fade away, many fear that we risk forgetting the horrors of the Holocaust and the founding pledge on which Europe built the postwar order: never again.
A recent poll found that a stark proportion of young adults aged 18-29 had not heard of the Holocaust: 46% in France, 15% in Romania, 14% in Austria and 12% in Germany. Many are unable to name Auschwitz or any of the other concentration camps and ghettoes where the crimes of the Holocaust were committed.
And even among those who had, many encountered Holocaust denial or distortion, particularly online, reported by 47% in Poland, 38% in Germany, and 33% in the US. The anniversary comes at a particularly hectic time, with some prominent voices daring to go further than ever in seemingly questioning the importance of reflecting on the past for our decisions today.
