On Monday, President Myriam Spiteri Debono attended the 80th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. The Office of the President said that “around 1.1. million people were annihilated here.”

The President joined a number of people who were liberated from this camp on the 27th of January 1945. Along with world leaders, the President of Malta laid a candle as a sign of respect towards the Holocaust victims.

In their addresses, a common message was delivered by the Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors who pointed out that the Holocaust started with small acts of exclusion and discrimination, and warned that we cannot ignore the signs of hatred that can lead to a repetition of this dark history.

This ceremony brought to an end the President’s official visit abroad, returning to Malta on Tuesday evening.

Photo: Office of the President/Francis Debono

Permalink: President attends 80th anniversary commemoration of Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation