Commenting in Berlin on the upcoming visit to the Auschwitz Memorial by German Chancellor Angelika Merkel on 6 December 2019, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said:

"Auschwitz survivors throughout the world welcome the Federal Chancellor’s decision to visit the Auschwitz Memorial on 6 December. They also perceive this as a kind of recognition for their many years working as contemporary witnesses and talking with young people in many European countries. Especially now, in times when Auschwitz survivors in Europe are again being targeted with abusive verbal attacks and hate mails, this visit to Auschwitz by the Federal Chancellor is a particularly important act, signalling interest and solidarity."