WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Dozens of Auschwitz survivors have placed wreaths and flowers at the infamous execution wall at the former German death camp, paying homage to the victims of Adolf Hitler’s regime exactly 72 years after the camp’s liberation.
Elderly survivors also paid homage Friday to those killed by wearing striped scarves reminiscent of the garb prisoners once wore there, praying and lighting candles at the wall.
Janina Malec, a Polish survivor whose parents were killed at the execution wall, told the PAP news agency that “as long as I live I will come here,” describing her yearly visit as a “pilgrimage.”
In Germany, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his nation remains committed to commemorating the genocide, honoring the memory of the victims and taking responsibility for the crimes.