Scholz's gives address on Holocaust anniversary amid election buzz, right-wing surge in Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday reaffirmed Germany’s responsibility to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, warning against attempts to downplay the atrocities committed by Germans during World War II.

“I am against turning the page, saying ’that was long ago’,” Scholz said during a gathering of the Jewish community in Frankfurt to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazis’ largest concentration camp.

The Holocaust, Scholz said, represents “millions of individual stories,” of people “like you and me.” This collective memory, he stressed, is based on “indisputable facts that everyone in our country must face regardless of origin, family history or religion.”

Scholz warned of a “worrying and alarming normalisation” of anti-Semitism, hate speech, and the rise of far-right movements in Germany, particularly on social media, where such sentiments are often paired with incitements to violence.

Far-right surge in Germany

Scholz’s comments come as Germany grapples with a surge in far-right activity ahead of snap elections. The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, which has gained significant traction in recent years, has faced criticism for rhetoric and actions reminiscent of Nazi-era policies.

The party recently sparked backlash by distributing campaign flyers styled as “Deportation Tickets,” mock boarding passes listing “Illegal Immigrant” as the passenger and a “Safe Country of Origin” as the destination.

Critics have drawn comparisons between this stunt and the one-way tickets to Jerusalem distributed by the Nazis in the 1930s.

The brutality of Auschwitz

More than one million people died at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the concentration camp established by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland. Most victims were Jews, but non-Jewish Poles, Roma, and Soviet prisoners of war also perished.

Of the 1.3 million people sent to the camp, 1.1 million were killed, many in gas chambers, while others succumbed to starvation, disease, and exhaustion.

Scholz emphasized the enduring relevance of Holocaust remembrance, stating that Germany’s responsibility “will not end” and calling for vigilance against threats to Jewish communities and the resurgence of hateful ideologies.

With inputs from agencies