aushwitz memorial

@AushwitzMemorial / Twitter Alex Dalbey

Auschwitz Memorial asks visitors to stop taking playful photos at Holocaust site

'Remember you are at the site where over 1 million people were killed.'

 

Alex Dalbey

IRL

Posted on Mar 21, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 4:34 pm CDT

The Auschwitz Memorial is speaking out against visitors taking disrespectful photos at the Holocaust site, calling for people to respect the memory of those who were killed.

On Wednesday, the memorial tweeted four photos of people using the train tracks leading into Auschwitz as a balance beam, a pose often seen in aesthetically pleasing, “inspirational” type Instagrams. However, usually, when people take pictures like this, they’re not walking on tracks that were used to forcibly transport thousands of people to their systemic torture and genocide.

“When you come to @AuschwitzMuseum remember you are at the site where over 1 million people were killed. Respect their memory,” the memorial tweeted. “There are better places to learn how to walk on a balance beam than the site which symbolizes deportation of hundreds of thousands to their deaths.”

Some people were shocked and offended by the images, while others felt it was a scary reminder of our photo-op culture.

https://twitter.com/Just__Fran/status/1108339789693140994

The Auschwitz Memorial later clarified that it is not banning photography but is simply asking visitors to behave respectfully, including when it comes to taking pictures. It also recommended that people check out the Instagram account for the Auschwitz Memorial “to see how images can commemorate victims & teach difficult and emotional history of #Auschwitz.”

Looking at Auschwitz’s Instagram, it doesn’t take long to see the many differences between the photos people were taking on the tracks versus the ones featured there. While the train track pictures are about the visitor, respectful pictures instead reflect on the memory of the victims.

READ MORE:

Share this article
*First Published: Mar 21, 2019, 11:33 am CDT