Tourist arrested at Auschwitz for making a Nazi salute


A Dutch woman was arrested on Sunday at the site of the Auschwitz death camp after she made a Nazi salute while posing for a picture.
Police said the 29-year-old tourist was standing in front of the gate that says "Arbeit Macht Frei," or "Work Sets You Free," when she made the salute. Auschwitz is in Poland, where people who promote Nazi propaganda can receive up to two years in prison, and a security guard detained the woman until police arrived.
The woman and her husband were questioned by officers, and she told them making the gesture was "a stupid joke," the Auschwitz Museum tweeted. She has been fined an undisclosed amount.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Auschwitz was the largest Nazi death camp, and at least 1.1 million people — most of them Jewish — died there, with many immediately gassed upon their arrival and others dying after working hard labor in deplorable conditions. The "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate is one of the most well-known parts of Auschwitz, and this wasn't the first time someone was arrested for making the Nazi salute there; in 2013, two Turkish students made the gesture at the gate, and were fined and sentenced to six months in prison, the Polish News Agency reports.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
August 23 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include deficit dimness, steamroller-in-chief, and more
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purge
Cartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
US, China extend trade war truce for 90 days
Speed Read The triple-digit tariff threat is postponed for another three months
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summit
Speed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
-
Israeli security cabinet OKs Gaza City takeover
Speed Read Netanyahu approved a proposal for Israeli Defense Forces to take over the largest population center in the Gaza Strip
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Thailand, Cambodia agree to ceasefire in border fight
Speed Read At least 38 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the recent violence
-
Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows
Speed Read The World Health Organization said malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza