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ITF Chair's Statement regarding Vandalism and Theft in Auschwitz

18.12.2009
ITF Norwegian chairmanship 2009 logo

As the Chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF), I am outraged that the infamous sign "Arbeit Macht Frei" over one of Auschwitz' main gates has been stolen. Having visited Auschwitz recently I can testify to the power of that sign. It bears witness to the unprecedented mass murder of over a million innocent civilians in Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War. This horrible and shameful act of vandalism must be strongly condemned.