Holocaust memorial day – latest: King begins ‘deeply personal’ Auschwitz visit

King Charles has called on the world to “build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations”.

Speaking on Holocaust Memorial Day at the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krakow, which supports people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city, the British monarch said: “In a post-Holocaust world, projects such as this centre are how we recover our faith in humanity.

“They also show us there is much work still to be done if we are not just to remember the past but use it to inspire us to build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations – a world of which we can be truly proud. And this remains the sacred task of us all.”

The King has spoken of the importance of remembering “the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish” at a time when the world “remains full of turmoil and strife”.

Addressing a group of Holocaust survivors on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Charles said: “It is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long by the world.

“In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife and has witnessed the emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message…

“The act of remembering the evil of the past remains a vital task.”

Charles has described Holocaust Memorial Day as a “sombre and sacred moment”.

The King is speaking to a crowd of Holocaust survivors during his visit to the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krakow.

The British monarch is meeting with the survivors and hearing from volunteers and members about the centre’s support for people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city.

Around 6.7 million adults in the UK, or 12 per cent, hold elevated levels of antisemitic attitudes, according to a new poll.

And nearly two in five British adults (38 per cent) endorse the dual loyalty trope, believing Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the UK, according to the latest Global 100 survey conducted by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), which is the world’s most extensive study of antisemitic attitudes.

The research also found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population – an estimated 2.2 billion people – harbour deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes, more than double compared to ADL’s first worldwide survey a decade ago and the highest level on record since ADL started tracking these trends globally.

The poll of more than 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories showed the UK specifically, and Western Europe in general, have also experienced a significant increase in antisemitic incidents since 7 October, 2023, when Hamas’ attack on Israel sparked the country’s 15-month war in Gaza.

The King is visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation in what has been described as a “deeply personal pilgrimage” on Holocaust Memorial Day.

As Charles becomes the first British head of state to visit the former Nazi concentration camp, a royal source told The Telegraph: “While His Majesty has found many ways over the years to engage with survivors of the Holocaust, I know this visit to Auschwitz will be a particularly poignant one for him.

“That’s not only because of the significance of the anniversary but as an opportunity for him to reflect on the many stories of suffering and courage he has heard from those who bore witness, in the very location where they took place.

“As anyone who has visited the camp can avow, it has a profound impact on the soul, bringing home both the scale of the horrors and the lessons that must be learned for eternity.

“In that sense, it will be a deeply personal pilgrimage for The King – paying tribute both as man and monarch.”

Irish premier Micheal Martin has said we must “remember and say never again” ahead of joining world leaders for a commemoration at Auschwitz to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Monday’s commemoration has been described as a recommitment to denouncing and combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, intolerance, racism, and xenophobia.

The taoiseach said: “Today, we remember the unique horrors of the Holocaust, in particular the extermination of six million jews from across Europe in the Nazi death camps.

“We remember also the Roma, the disabled, the political dissidents, the members of the LGBTQ community and all who were persecuted and murdered without mercy in the camps.”

“It is a particular honour to be here at what is probably the last significant anniversary at which survivors of the camps will be present in person.

“Though they are now all advanced in years, their memories of what happened in the camps – the profound loss of their family members and the destruction of Europe’s vibrant Jewish communities – remain crystal clear and vivid.

“We owe it to them to ensure that now, and for all generations to come, we remember and say never again.”

The Holocaust Educational Trust’s chief executive has described how “the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever”.

Karen Pollock CBE said: “This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we come together to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps of Europe. We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators and we honour those who survived and rebuilt their lives after enduring unimaginable horrors.

“The images and accounts that emerged at liberation revealed the full scale of the Nazis’ attempt to annihilate the Jewish people and this gave rise to the enduring call ‘Never Again.’ This phrase embodies the hope that the Holocaust would serve as a stark warning to future generations of the consequences of unchecked hatred and antisemitism.

“As we mark this significant anniversary, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever. With survivors becoming fewer and frailer, and with antisemitism continuing to surge across the world – we must all commit to remembering the six million Jewish victims and must take action to ensure anti-Jewish racism is never again allowed to thrive.”

The service at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum and memorial is set to take place between 3pm and 5pm (UK time), with foreign monarchs, presidents, prime ministers and Holocaust survivors invited.

Alongside King Charles, the other dignitaries expected to attend include:

• France’s President Emmanuel Macron
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
• King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
• Spain’s King Philip VI and Queen Letizia
• Irish premier Micheal Martin
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
• Polish president Andrzej Duda

Today, I am going to be at Auschwitz-Birkenau, 80 years after its gates were opened and the world learnt what was happening to us, the Jews of Europe.

I will stand at that place where a million people were murdered. People like me, like my family.

I will be standing with other survivors – many of whom were imprisoned in that ghastly place.