Oswiecim: Thousands gathered at the former Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Poland to participate in the annual March of the Living, marking 80 years since the camp’s liberation. This year’s commemoration was especially poignant, as 80 Holocaust survivors joined the procession to honor the memory of the millions who perished under Nazi rule.
The march follows a three-kilometre (1.86-mile) route through the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex, ending at the crematoria. It serves both as a tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and a call for global unity against antisemitism and intolerance.
“In days when antisemitism is raising its ugly head, when there is hatred towards Israel and when cries rise for the destruction of Israel, we must stand strong and remind and promise the world: never again,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said at a news conference held before the march.
Participants, many wrapped in Israeli flags, began their solemn journey by passing under the infamous “Arbeit macht frei” (“Work sets you free”) sign, a chilling remnant of Nazi propaganda and cruelty.
The rise in antisemitic incidents globally has sparked renewed concern, particularly in Europe, North America, and Australia. These increases have paralleled pro-Palestinian demonstrations following Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
At the joint press conference, Polish President Andrzej Duda stood beside Herzog and emphasized the shared hope for peace and resolution. “We both expressed our hope that the war taking place in the Gaza Strip, which was started by Hamas’ attack on Israel, will be able to end, that the hostages who are still in Hamas hands will be able to return home,” he said.
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Auschwitz remains one of the most harrowing symbols of the Holocaust. Over 1.1 million people, primarily Jews, died in its gas chambers or succumbed to starvation, disease, and exposure after Nazi Germany established the camp in occupied Poland during World War II.
Poland, which had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe before the war, saw more than three million of its 3.2 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust—approximately half of all Jewish victims in Europe. Between 1941 and 1945, six million Jews were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, alongside Romani people, disabled individuals, LGBTQ+ persons, and other groups targeted by Nazi ideology.
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As the survivors continue to bear witness and recount the horrors they endured, the annual March of the Living remains a powerful reminder of the atrocities of the past and a pledge to never forget.
