European Union lawmakers on Wednesday marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp with words of grief and warnings about the growth of anti-Semitism on the continent.
“We turn to governments to be vigilant to all forms of intolerance,” European Parliament President David Sassoli said.
After listening to the poignant recollections of Italian Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre, the president of the EU's executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “We will fight for a normal life for Jews in Europe. You can rely on this.”
Members of European Parliament stand for a moment of silence during a ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (AP PhotoFrancisco Seco)
Nazi Germany set up and ran a series of concentration, labor and extermination camps at Auschwitz, which was located in occupied Poland. Most of the 1.1 million people who died at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were Jews sent to the gas chambers, but Poles, Russians and Roma also were imprisoned and killed there.
Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army on Jan. 27, 1945. There have been remembrance events across Europe this week to mark the anniversary.
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Liliana Segre, senator for life, Senato della Repubblica and survivor of Auschwitz, center, speaks during a ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (AP PhotoVirginia Mayo)
Liliana Segre, senator for life, Senato della Repubblica and survivor of Auschwitz, center rear, speaks during a ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (AP PhotoVirginia Mayo)