Poland opens probe into anti-Semitic incident at Auschwitz

Polish prosecutors are investigating an anti-Semitic protest by dozens of far-right nationalists outside the gates of Auschwitz.

A Polish far-right activist, Piotr Rybak,right, and other nationalists gather outside the memorial site of Auschwitz in Oswiecim, Poland, January 27, 2019. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

The incident took place yesterday in Oswiecim, the southern Polish town where Nazi Germany operated Auschwitz during World War II. It happened as Holocaust survivors gathered nearby to commemorate the anniversary of the camp’s liberation, a day also recognized each year as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Piotr Rybak, a far-right activist with a past conviction for burning the effigy of a Jew in 2015, could be seen in TV footage saying “we must tell Jewish invaders … that we are masters of this country.”

Mariusz Slomka, a deputy district prosecutor in Oswiecim, says prosecutors are investigating. In Poland, it’s a crime to incite hatred based on religion or race.

— AP