January 27 is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day 80 years ago, the Red Army liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau - the largest complex of concentration and extermination camps created in German-occupied Europe.
Commemoration ceremonies have been taking place on the site of the former camp since this morning. They were attended by Auschwitz's survivors as well as leaders from around the world, including President Andrzej Duda, King Charles III, and presidents and representatives of other countries, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In addition to the ceremony at Auschwitz, Karol III also attended a meeting organized at the Jewish Community Center in Krakow.
There in his speech, he mentioned the victims of the Holocaust, including German concentration camps.
"This is a moment when we remember the six million Jews, old and young, who were systematically murdered, together with Sinti, Roma, disabled people, members of the LGBT community, political prisoners and many other people who were harmed by the Nazis," said Charles III.
It is noteworthy that he did not mention 140,000 Poles in this group.
Some Poles took to the internet with their reactions.
Marek Magierowski, former Ambassador to Israel and United States, wrote:
With all due respect: mentioning Jews, Sinti, Roma, the LGBT community, disabled people & political prisoners, and leaving out Polish victims (among "many others", I presume), just raised my eyebrows. And I am doing my utmost to be as diplomatic and as phlegmatic as it gets.
Witold Spirydowicz, former ambassador to Morocco and Algeria, wrote:
Our just calls to take into account the Polish victims of the German extermination camp will not help. This message will go out into the world. Only Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals died at the hands of "Nazis" (no nationality).
- Based on reporting by Niezalezna(.)pl
In case you asked what Germans think about Polish victims, here is a quote from Deutsche Welle:
The extermination of Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II took place largely in occupied Poland. But for many Poles, Holocaust remembrance remains a challenge.
If that does not imply Poles' guilt, I don't know what does.
