80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation highlights concerns over Holocaust memory

Europe and the world will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz today, putting the increasingly chaotic global politics on pause for a brief moment to reflect on the darkest moments of our history.

In a growingly polarised and aggressive world, the ceremony will also for many be a call for action and renewal of our collective memory. As the last survivors inevitably fade away, many fear that we risk forgetting the horrors of the Holocaust and the founding pledge on which Europe built the postwar order: never again.

A recent poll found that a stark proportion of young adults aged 18-29 had not heard of the Holocaust: 46% in France, 15% in Romania, 14% in Austria, and 12% in Germany.

Many are unable to name Auschwitz or any of the other concentration camps and ghettoes where the crimes of the Holocaust were committed. Even among those who had, many encountered Holocaust denial or distortion, particularly online, reported by 47% in Poland, 38% in Germany, and 33% in the US.

The anniversary comes at a particularly hectic time, with some prominent voices daring to go further than ever in seemingly questioning the importance of reflecting on the past for our decisions today.

Over the weekend, close US president ally and billionaire Tesla and X owner Elon Musk told a rally organised by the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) that "children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great grandparents."

His comments, just days after he sparked controversy with his apparent use of a salute banned for its Nazi links in Germany, were perceived as echoing the party's line that Germans should stop apologising for the past. The AfD's co-founder Alexander Gauland once infamously said the Nazi period was like a "small bird dropping in over 1,000 years of successful German history."

AfD is currently projected to come second in next month's parliamentary election, only behind the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the latest sign of far-right parties making sweeping gains across Europe.

On a diplomatic level, the presence of over 50 national delegations led by royals and heads of states and governments, including British monarch Charles III, Spanish king Felipe VI, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, France's Emmanuel Macron, and Italy's Sergio Mattarella, will send a clear signal.

However, by the decision of the Auschwitz museum, none of these leaders will speak at the event. Instead, we will only hear from the survivors and the custodians of their memory.