King Charles III gave a speech at the Jewish Community Center in Krakow, Poland, where he met Holocaust survivors on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
He said, “the act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task.”
During his speech, he also said, “as the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests on our shoulders.”
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates the six million Jews murdered during World War Two, is observed each year on January 27 as a solemn reminder that the Holocaust was not an isolated atrocity but the result of incremental decisions and actions by individuals. These choices culminated in the largest genocide in human history, driven by waves of antisemitism, intolerance, and hatred.
On this day in 1945, the Soviet Red Army liberated Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp—a powerful symbol of humanity’s capacity for evil and the resilience of those who survived.
The King became the first British head of state to visit Auschwitz, where he is attending a commemoration event to mark the 80 years since its liberation.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron were also in attendance.
Meanwhile, Catherine, Princess of Wales attended a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in London later, with her husband the Prince of Wales.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was also at the event.
Approximately 1.1 million people were murdered at the Auschwitz concentration camp from 1940 to 1945, many of them Jews but also other victims of the Third Reich including Poles, the Roma, and Soviet prisoners of war.
The United Nations declared January 27 as the International Holocaust Memorial Day in 2005.
This year, 2025, carries particular significance. Israel has recently entered a fragile ceasefire with Hamas, aiming to secure the release of Israeli hostages.
This development follows the horrific events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, massacring 1,200 civilians and kidnapping 250 others.
In the aftermath, antisemitism surged globally. Violent protests erupted under the guise of advocating for Palestinian rights, with many openly supporting Hamas—a terrorist organization—while targeting Jewish communities.
Many Holocaust survivors feel that as time passes, the hatred that led to the Holocaust and the atrocities that then took place are being forgotten.
Compounding the problem is that fact that few survivors are left to speak out.
Given today’s political environment amid rising antisemitism, many Holocaust survivors believe the world has not learned the lessons of the Holocaust.