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THEFT

Second Swede sought over Auschwitz theft

Polish authorities want to question a second Swede, millionaire Lars-Göran Wahlström, about the theft of the "Arbeit macht frei" sign at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Published: 10 June 2010 15:36 CEST
Second Swede sought over Auschwitz theft

The news was reported by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, quoting Austrian news agency APA. According to the newspaper, Wahlström has a Nazi past.

Wahlström currently has power of attorney over the affairs of Anders Högstrom, who in early April was extradited to Poland on suspicion of being the brains behind the theft. He has since been in custody in Krakow awaiting trial.

During questioning, Högstrom is thought to have accused Wahlström of commissioning him and several Polish men to steal the sign. Wahlström has long denied the charges, including in an interview with newspaper Aftonbladet in January, when he said that he would be happy to be questioned by Polish police.

The Polish prosecution’s spokeswoman told Rzeczpospolita that Poland will once again request assistance from the Swedish authorities. She refused to confirm whether the application was regarding a hearing for Wahlström. However, the newspaper reports that it has received reliable information regarding the case.

The theft of the gateway sign from the site of the camp near the southern Polish city of Oswiecim, which became a notorious symbol of genocide by the occupying Nazi Germans, took place on December 18th.

Polish police recovered the five-metre metal “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign (“Work Will Set You Free” in German) two days later.

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WORLD WAR II

‘Our responsibility will never end’: Germany pledges €120 million to Auschwitz fund

Germany has doubled its share of a fund to preserve the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp to €120 million euros, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday.

Published: 17 June 2020 09:10 CEST
'Our responsibility will never end': Germany pledges €120 million to Auschwitz fund
Maas visiting the former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in August 2018. Photo: DPA

The death camp, which is located in Poland, was where Nazi officials murdered 1.1 million people, a million of whom were European Jews, from 1940 to 1945.

Around 80,000 Poles, 25,000 Roma and 20,000 Soviet soldiers also perished there before the Red Army arrived in January 1945.

More than a decade ago, Poland sought contributions to establish a permanent fund to preserve the site.

Maas was quoted in a statement issued by the Auschwitz museum as saying that Germany would keep doing what “it has done for years within the context of its historical responsibility.

“We want to support this work and preserve the memory because German responsibility for the Holocaust will never end,” he added.

Each year, more than two million people visit the site, which covers more than 200 hectares (500 acres). In 2018, there were a record number of visitors to the memorial site.

In December, Angela Merkel visited the site for the first as Chancellor ahead of the 75th anniversary of the camp's liberation.

READ ALSO: Merkel set to visit Auschwitz as Germany battles resurgence of anti-Semitism

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