Morawiecki wrote on Twitter: "When Poland regained independence in 1918 after 123 years, no one expected that the German Nazis would build the most terrible death machine in world history – KL Auschwitz-Birkenau – on its territory. Remembering the victims is an important part of our identity."
Polish President Andrzej Duda and the ambassadors of Israel and Russia were among officials expected to make speeches during ceremonies later in the day to mark the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp towards the end of World War II.
Eyewitness accounts by two former prisoners were to be presented during the online ceremonies, which were scheduled to start at 4pm. Then religious officials from four different faiths were to offer an ecumenical prayer.
In 2005, the United Nations proclaimed January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
LIVE broadcast of the official Auschwitz Memorial commemoration event of the 76th Anniversary of the Liberation of...
Opublikowany przez Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz Wtorek, 26 stycznia 2021
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp operated in German-occupied southern Poland between May 1940 and January 1945.
It was the largest of the German Nazi concentration and death camps.
More than 1.1 million people, mostly European Jews, as well as Poles, Roma, Soviet POWs and people of many other nationalities, perished at the camp before it was liberated by Soviet soldiers on January 27, 1945.
The suffering of children during the Holocaust is a key focus as the world marks the anniversary.
Meanwhile, a report has warned that attempts to distort historical facts pose a critical threat to Holocaust memory and to fostering a world without genocide.
(pk/gs)
Source: PAP