On 27 January, the day of the liberation of Auschwitz, the International Auschwitz Committee announced that they will be presenting the 2017 Statue of Remembrance to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
The International Auschwitz Committee has been awarding the statue since 2010 to public figures who speak out worldwide for human rights and stand up against intolerance and anti-Semitism. Previous recipients of the award include Pope Francis, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, the former President of Israel Shimon Peres and, from Germany, the Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Sigmar Gabriel, who is now the Federal Foreign Minister.
The statue itself depicts the inverted letter ‘B’ in the inscription ARBEIT MACHT FREI (work makes you free), which the prisoners secretly up-ended in a spontaneous act of courage and defiance, when the SS ordered them to make the sign. The statue was based on an idea by Michèle Deodat from France, and is manufactured by trainees from Volkswagen in Hanover.
In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said:
‘The survivors of the Holocaust are deeply moved and profoundly impressed by the empathy that the Prince of Wales has repeatedly expressed over the years for their painful memories, and by his acute insight into the causes and consequences of the Holocaust.
Prince Charles also speaks out very clearly in his determined efforts to inspire people to overcome the new hatred and age-old prejudices. He untiringly calls on people to overcome hatred and discrimination and to shape a common future together in a spirit of tolerance. The Auschwitz survivors sincerely appreciate his personal stance, especially in these challenging times in many European societies. His distinct words are an immense source of motivation and encouragement in the survivors’ work with young people.’
HRH The Prince of Wales will be receiving the award at a meeting with survivors and representatives of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust at St James’s Palace in London on 9 February 2017.
