Two Canadians Detained for Auschwitz Theft
Just months after three men were convicted of stealing the Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Sets You Free) sign from the Auschwitz memorial, two Canadians were detained Saturday for allegedly pilfering two spikes from the railway tracks that run through the compound.
The nails, which were not fastened to the ground, were found in the men’s backpacks after witnesses notified authorities, according to an AFP article.
Since the theft was relatively small-scale, it’s likely the men — both 30-year-old teachers — pocketed the nails out of ignorance, rather than ill intent. Still, given Auschwitz’s enduring historical and cultural significance, these things aren’t taken lightly.
“For us, this is a case of desecration of a place of memorial. These items are priceless,” said Bartosz Bartyzel, a museum spokesperson, in the article.
The men were both released on Saturday, but could still face charges and a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, according to the local police chief.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO