11 Nude Auschwitz Protesters Who Killed Sheep And Stripped Charged With Desecration
WARSAW (JTA) – Seven men and four women who slaughtered a sheep, stripped off their clothes and chained themselves to the gate of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp have been charged with desecrating a monument.
The Polish, Belorussian and German protesters gathered Friday afternoon next to the gate, which bears the sign reading “Arbeit macht frei,” German for “Work will set you free.” The peace demonstrators were immediately detained by police and face fines or other restrictions. The person who killed the sheep will face additional charges under animal protection laws, the AFP news agency reported.
“Using the symbol of Auschwitz for any kind of manifestation or happening is outrageous and unacceptable,” the museum said in a statement. “It is disrespectful to the memory of all the victims of the Nazi German Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp.”
The 11 protesters were all in their 20s. They also drapped a white banner reading “love” in red over the gate. They also reportedly used a drone to film the incident.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.