Auschwitz memorial condemns presence of Nazi slogan at US anti-lockdown rally

‘Arbeit macht frei’ on sign at Illinois demonstration against state’s coronavirus measures

Jedidajah Otte
Sat 2 May 2020 15.27 BST
Last modified on Sat 2 May 2020 15.48 BST

The organisation that runs the Auschwitz memorial has condemned the appearance at a US anti-lockdown rally of a picket sign bearing a Nazi slogan displayed above the entrance of the concentration camp.

A demonstrator attending a rally in Illinois, where hundreds of people protested against the state’s lockdown and social distancing measures, was photographed carrying a sign bearing the words “Arbeit macht frei, JB”.

The German phrase translates as “work sets you free”, with JB referring to the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, who is of Jewish descent.

The font of both instances of the letter “B” on the picket sign bore a striking resemblance to the shape of the letter “B” on the sign above the gates of Auschwitz, the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centres, where more than 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered.

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