Let bygones be bygones

German Holocaust remembrance under fire from far right

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FRANKFURT:

As the world remembers Auschwitz, the German far right has pushed back against the country's tradition of Holocaust remembrance, now with backing from US tech billionaire Elon Musk.

"I think there's too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that," the ally of US President Donald Trump told an Alternative for Germany (AfD) rally in a video discussion at the weekend.

"Children should not be guilty for the sins of their great grandparents," he told supporters of the AfD, an anti-immigration party he has strongly supported ahead of February 23 elections.

Musk's comments flew in the face of those made by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination camp in what was Nazi-occupied Poland and on the "civilisational rupture" of the Holocaust.

"Every single person in our country bears responsibility, regardless of their own family history, regardless of the religion or birthplace of their parents or grandparents," Scholz said in a speech.

Musk's comments were all the more divisive as they came ahead of Monday's 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where more than one million Jewish people and over 100,000 others died between 1940 and 1945.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country is hosting commemorations, was quick to criticise slogans made at Saturday's rally, although he did not mention Musk by name.

"The words we heard from the main actors of the AfD rally about 'Great Germany' and 'the need to forget German guilt for Nazi crimes' sounded all too familiar and ominous," the Polish leader wrote on X.

"Especially only hours before the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz".

Scholz, who went to Poland for the anniversary events, responded to Tusk's message: "I couldn't agree more, dear Donald."