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11.09.2022

Auschwitz survivors send a message to King Charles III

 
 
2 September 2017: Prince Charles with the Statue of Remembrance, Marian Turski (Auschwitz survivor), Michèle Deodat (artist and designer of the B statue). In London the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, receives the Statue of Remembrance from Holocaust survivors. The award was presented to Prince Charles when he met survivors and representatives of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust at St James’s Palace in London. The statue depicts the inverted B in the cynical inscription above the main gate to Auschwitz concentration camp ARBEIT MACHT FREI (work sets you free). Image: Paul Burns

2 September 2017: Prince Charles with the Statue of Remembrance, Marian Turski (Auschwitz survivor), Michèle Deodat (artist and designer of the B statue). In London the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, receives the Statue of Remembrance from Holocaust survivors. The award was presented to Prince Charles when he met survivors and representatives of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust at St James’s Palace in London. The statue depicts the inverted B in the cynical inscription above the main gate to Auschwitz concentration camp ARBEIT MACHT FREI (work sets you free). Image: Paul Burns

 

 

 

In January 2017, the International Auschwitz Committee presented Charles, Prince of Wales, with its Statue of Remembrance at St James’s Palace in London. The statue depicts the inverted letter B which the prisoners deliberately turned upside down in a demonstration of courage and defiance when they were forced to manufacture the inscription above the gate to Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp: ARBEIT MACHT FREI (work sets you free). The sculpture was designed by the French artist Michèle Déodat. The statue is regarded as the highest honour to be awarded by the survivors of Auschwitz in recognition of the recipient’s commitment to promoting tolerance and combatting anti-Semitic hatred, intolerance and xenophobia. Meanwhile, the statue has been presented to numerous recipients including Angela Merkel, Shimon Peres, Ban Ki-moon, Pope Francis, and the pianist Igor Levit.

Now, on the occasion of his proclamation as British monarch, the International Auschwitz Committee has sent a message to King Charles III. In Warsaw, the president of the committee and Auschwitz survivor, Marian Turski, wrote: “We stand solidly beside you in this time of great sadness on the death of your mother, the Queen. We have very good memories of our meeting with you in 2017, when we awarded you the highest honour of the International Auschwitz Committee. You have always been interested in the wellbeing of the Holocaust survivors, and have always expressed sincere empathy with people who had suffered under fascism and other totalitarian systems. We remember you as a human being who wants to find out about and understand the past, as a human being who expresses empathy for those who suffer injustice, for the victims. We know that you feel bound to support these fellow human beings: We are confident that the United Kingdom will be served by a wise and compassionate monarch.”

And in Berlin, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the committee added: “King Charles III has always shown interest and compassion towards the painful memories of the survivors of the Holocaust. But, in addition to this, he has repeatedly taken a stand on contemporary issues in efforts to overcome the new hatred and age-old prejudices. We are grateful to him for this: His voice is needed, particularly in these times.”