Germany's Scholz: 'Shameful' antisemitism still in society

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday said it was "outrageous and shameful" that the Jewish community still faces discrimination.

The German leader made the comments as he attended a ceremony in Berlin almost 80 years to the day after the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

"Anyone who supports terrorism, anyone who incites antisemitism must expect to be prosecuted," Scholz said at the event organized by the International Auschwitz Committee.

"We do not tolerate antisemitism," he said. 

Scholz said combating antisemitism is a task for all citizens, especially because of the "increasingly shameless attempts to normalize far-right positions."

"On the contrary: let's stand up and fight back," he said. 

Holocaust a 'responsibility we all bear' in Germany

Scholz called the Holocaust a "responsibility that each and every one of us bears in our country — regardless of family history, regardless of religion or the birthplace of our parents or grandparents."

Approximately 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, according to the latest research described on the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial website.

Around 1 million Jews were murdered in the Auschwitz camp, which was liberated by Soviet troops on January 27, 1945. These were "more than a million unique people, individuals, wives and husbands, boys and girls, grandmothers and grandfathers. They were gassed, shot, they died of hunger, forced labour and medical experiments," Scholz said.

He also honored other victims of the Holocaust, including Sinti and Roma, political opponents of the Nazi regime, homosexuals, the sick and people with disabilities.

"The uniqueness of the Shoah must be communicated again ... to counteract the countless attempts to falsify and relatives history," Scholz said. 

"This fight for the inviolability of the dignity of each and every individual continues," he added, citing attacks targeting people because of their beliefs, gender or skin color. "Our responsibility, 80 years on, is to resist this hatred."

Germany has marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day since 1996.

'Fewer and fewer' survivors

On January 27, a service will take place at Auschwitz that will be attended by Britain's King Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens).

At Steinmeier's invitation, several Auschwitz survivors will also travel to Auschwitz on board the government plane, the president's office said. Five years ago, to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation, more than 100 of the camp's survivors took part in the celebrations in person.

On Monday, fewer than 50 were expected to be in attendance.

"There are fewer and fewer," Steinmeier's office said. "It is a special feature of the meeting that it will be one of the last with survivors."

jsi/sms (dpa, AFP, Reuters)