Neo-Nazis chief suspects in theft of iconic Auschwitz sign
Saturday December 19 2009
The infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign at the entrance to the Auschwitz concentration camp has been stolen in an audacious overnight raid, sending a wave of outrage around the world yesterday.
The theft of the most potent symbol of the Holocaust, that hung over the gates of Auschwitz extermination camp where more than a million people died during World War II, was carried out within minutes. Polish police suspect that the culprits were either neo-Nazis or acting on behalf of collectors or a group of individuals.
"We don't know the identity of the perpetrators but I assume they are neo-Nazis," said Avner Shalev, the head of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial institute in Jerusalem.
The iron sign, five metres long and weighing 40kg, was erected by the Nazis soon after the old Auschwitz barracks was converted into a labour and extermination centre in 1940. It was supposed to suggest that hard work could allow inmates to walk free, but as Auschwitz was turned into a hub for the Holocaust, it became a mocking commentary. (© The Times, London)
- Roger Boyes in Berlin
Irish Independent
