In Frankfurt, Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed a commemorative gathering organized by the Jewish community. He framed a shared duty: to face the past with candor, to educate new generations about the Holocaust, and to keep memory alive as a pillar of democracy. The audience ranged from survivors to students, faith leaders, and community advocates. Scholz stressed that the lessons of Auschwitz should guide today’s politics, school curricula, and every level of community life across Germany and beyond. The remarks were reported by TASS and picked up by other outlets, presenting memory as a living obligation, not a distant chapter of history.
Eight decades after Auschwitz’s liberation, Scholz said it is essential to set out the facts clearly and extract the proper lessons. He added that remembering means documenting the scale of the crimes, honoring the victims, and ensuring distortions do not take root in classrooms, online spaces, or public discourse. The message drew on survivor testimonies and the broader European memory network, underscoring a steadfast commitment to truth.
He pointed to Germany’s enduring obligation to preserve the memory of the destruction caused by the Holocaust and warned that antisemitism and right-wing extremism are showing troubling signs of normalization in many places, a trend that alarms communities, scholars, and policymakers across the continent. The call goes beyond remembrance to demand ongoing vigilance in education, media, and public dialogue to prevent any relapse into intolerance.
On January 27, 1945, Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Monowitz, freeing about seven thousand prisoners, many in dire condition. The Auschwitz complex deported at least 1.3 million people between 1940 and 1945, a stark reminder of the machinery of persecution and the human cost of hatred. The liberation marked a turning point in the war and a moment for the world to bear witness to crimes that demanded collective memory and accountability.
In October, Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vulin said Russia’s absence from the Auschwitz liberation anniversary insults the memory of Nazi victims and violates basic common sense and historical truth. The remark highlighted how memory can intersect with contemporary geopolitical sensitivities and the central role memory plays in international dialogue.
Earlier, President Aleksandar Vucic expressed anger over the decision not to invite Russia to the commemoration, arguing that such exclusions complicate efforts to foster historical understanding and unity among nations in the face of past crimes. The exchange underscored how memory and politics intersect at sites like Auschwitz, where the weight of history continues to shape current debates and diplomatic gestures.
In all, the Frankfurt ceremony illustrated how memory can influence policy and public life. It reinforced that the lessons of past crimes are not relics but a responsibility to defend pluralism, hold leaders accountable for their rhetoric, and ensure every generation confronts antisemitism with clarity and resolve. The event served as a reminder that the duty to remember is ongoing, requiring continuous education, monitoring of extremist rhetoric, and active public engagement to protect human rights and democratic norms.