Five Arrests After Auschwitz Sign Found

Chloe Markowicz - Thursday 24th December 2009


Polish police have found the Auschwitz "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign, which was stolen from the entrance of the former Nazi concentration camp last week.

Five men have been arrested in connection with the theft on Sunday after the sign, which means "Work Sets You Free", was found cut into three pieces and hidden in the woods near the home of one of the men. None of the suspects are thought to have ties to neo-Nazi groups and police are investigating whether the sign was stolen on behalf of a collector of Nazi memorabilia.

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Andrzej Rokita, the chief police investigator, called the perpetrators "ordinary thieves" and said they were between 20 and 39 years old.

The men were later ordered to re-enact how they stole the infamous sign.
Deputy investigator Marek Wozniczka said: "Robbery and material gain are considered one of the main possible motives, but whether that was done on someone's orders will be determined in the process of the investigation."

According to police the sign, which weighs around 40 kilos and is five-metres long, had been cut up near the Auschwitz site to make transportation easier.
It was unscrewed from the gate on one side and pulled off from the other.

The suspects are being questioned in Krackow and face up to 10 years imprisonment if charges are pressed.

Holocaust educators and Auschwitz museum officials expressed relief at the recovery of the sign.

Pawel Sawicki, a spokesman for the Auschwitz museum, said he was eager to restore the sign to its rightful place.

He said: "We're very impatient to see what condition the sign is in. Our curators will get it restored so that it can be put up again as quickly as possible."

In the meantime the stolen sign has been replaced with an exact replica made after the Holocaust.

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: "It is a relief that this important symbol of the Holocaust will be returned to the Auschwitz museum, and we are grateful to the Polish authorities for acting so swiftly.

"The Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau stands as a universal symbol of the Holocaust and, for millions of victims, the sign represents the cynical cruelty of Nazi rule."

The theft took place on the same day the German government pledged £60million to safeguard the long-term future of the Auschwitz-Bikenau Museum.

The Holocaust Education Trust welcomed the announcement of investment in the historic site. Karen Pollock said: "Preservation of this site is crucial so that all people learn the important lessons of the past and can help ensure that this dark chapter in our history is remembered."

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