{"id":19871,"date":"2020-01-27T11:20:06","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T11:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=19871"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:54:33","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:54:33","slug":"unite-activist-visit-auschwitz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=19871","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098If not us, then who?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNothing prepares you for visiting Auschwitz,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite young member Aiden Papworth told UniteLive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part of a Unite delegation which travelled to see the largest Nazi concentration camp in Poland, Aiden, 26, said that as a history buff, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d always wanted to visit Auschwitz.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the chance presented itself through an educational trip sponsored by Unite and organised by Unite Against Fascism, Aiden, who works as an engine-fitter at Rolls Royce in Derby, seized the opportunity.<\/p>\n

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But the reality of beholding the deadliest Nazi camp, where more than 1m Jewish people were gassed to death and many more died of disease and starvation, was an altogether different experience than what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d imagined.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘Totally silent’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d seen clips on the telly and pictures but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so different seeing it in person,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe room displaying piles and piles of human hair taken from victims before being sent to the gas chambers was especially unsettling. When you learn that they sold this hair to be made into things like army socks you get a sense of how inhuman the Nazis were \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Jewish people were treated worse than vermin.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite branch chair Ben Davis, 28, who was also part of the Unite delegation, agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really hard to put into words what visiting Auschwitz is like,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe atmosphere at Birkenau is really chilling. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something in the air \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just totally silent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou find yourself standing next to a train track and it just hits you that millions of people were herded on these very same train tracks straight to the gas chambers. Auschwitz was a factory where people were killed so heartlessly and uncaringly. To their murderers, it was if they were just processing animals. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s devastating to see human beings reduced to that.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aiden was also struck by how coldly mechanistic the concentration camp complex was.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt may sound strange to say this, but especially when you see Birkenau, where people were taken to the gas chambers, you see how well made it is \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really the perfect factory. But then it hits you \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t for making sausages or anything like that, this was to murder people.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘But they never made it out’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

For Unite London and Eastern young members branch chair Ellen Morrison, 27, what left the biggest impression on her was an exhibition room at Auschwitz displaying victims\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 crockery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was apparent that those sent to the concentration camps believed they would be continuing their lives,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut they never made it out.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Exhibition rooms at Auschwitz also display other belongings like shoes and suitcases, which for Ellen really brought home the full weight of the horrors that had happened during the Holocaust.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese were snapshots from people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actual lives. So often when we speak of the Holocaust we talk about the sheer numbers of people who were murdered and in the process we forget that we aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just talking about numbers. Each and every person who was killed in the Holocaust had family and friends, had hopes and dreams; they were individuals\u00c2\u00a0just like the rest of us.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ellen, who is a disabled activist, added that the history of the Holocaust is an important part of history for disabled people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as they were among the first to be murdered by the Nazi regime. Before the mass killings in concentration camps, tens of thousands of disabled people were killed as part of the Nazis so-called T4 euthanasia programme<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of history that not a lot of people are aware of and should be,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe day before we visited Auschwitz we went to see the Warsaw Ghetto where people were detained before being transported to concentration camps. There we saw two buildings \u00e2\u20ac\u201c one was a sort of labour exchange where people went to register for work, and the other one, a pink building, was for those who were infirm, disabled or otherwise unfit for work. For the Nazis, you were of no value if you couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt dawned on me that if I were alive then, I would be among those required to report to the pink building. It was a very emotional moment that I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t soon forget.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trip ‘strengthened my resolve’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

After returning from the Unite Against Fascism trip, Ellen, Ben and Aiden all said that it had a major impact on how they view the present.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFor me, it really reinforced my desire to continue pursuing the anti-racism activism I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been involved with,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ben noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOn the trip, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor spoke to us, which really hit home to me that this wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t something that happened ages ago \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was an atrocity that is within living memory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quite scary when you realise that a genocide on the scale of the Holocaust could easily happen again. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not an exaggeration to say that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s those casually racist and xenophobic conversations in pubs and in workplaces can easily\u00c2\u00a0spiral and lead to the ghettoes and gas chambers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs trade unionists, we have a duty to stand up for all people, especially for those who are underrepresented and marginalised,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf not us, then who?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ellen agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI was emotionally drained after the trip, but it only strengthened my resolve to continue fighting back against the hatred and division now gaining traction in our communities,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bNow that we have a prime minister who on record makes racist comments, not just in the distant past but very recently \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and makes absolutely no apologies for them \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we must redouble our efforts.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ellen said she believed trade unions were especially well placed to tackle growing racist and far-right ideologies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs trade unionists, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on the ground in our workplaces and communities and so can understand where these ideologies come from and in the process challenge them where they first take root,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For Aiden, the trip to Auschwitz really opened his eyes to the similarities between 1930s Germany and now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs a young person, I see a lot of casual racism on social media and after the trip, it really made me realise that this is how it all starts,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said, pointing to far-right activists\u00c2\u00a0like Tommy Robinson and his large online following.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s especially important that young people learn about the history of the Holocaust and visit Auschwitz if they can \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m very grateful that Unite gave me that opportunity. As young people we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on the front lines of online propaganda and fake news, so we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the most susceptible to being radicalised but at the same time we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re also best positioned to challenge those online far-right narratives.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite Community national co-ordinator Liane Groves explained why the trip to Auschwitz, organised as part of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Unity Over Division campaign was so vital.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur members who went on the trip, most of whom were young people, were able to see first hand the horrors of the Holocaust. At a time when the far-right is on the rise across Europe and indeed across the globe, it is absolutely vital that our members take the lessons they learned during the trip to their workplaces and communities,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs part of our broader Unity Over Division campaign, we hope to make the trip to Auschwitz an annual one. As we mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we must remember that there are now very few Holocaust survivors still with us to tell their stories. It is up to us and future generations to take up the mantle and learn this history. We honour the victims by ensuring that we never forget.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite is supporting the Auschwitz Memorial in their goal to reach 1m Twitter followers on Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday (January 27). As of writing, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve reached 970k followers. You can follow them @Auschwitzmuseum.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNothing prepares you for visiting Auschwitz,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite young member Aiden Papworth told UniteLive.   Part of a Unite delegation which travelled to see the largest Nazi concentration camp in Poland, Aiden, 26, said that as a history buff, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d always wanted to visit Auschwitz.   When the chance presented itself through an educational trip sponsored […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[172,1288,242,1195],"wps_subtitle":"Young Unite activists visit the devastating horror of Auschwitz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19871"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19871"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24747,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19871\/revisions\/24747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}