Ebensee anniversary marred by Nazi salutes and "Heil Hitler"

Five young men, dressed in army fatigues, were arrested last Saturday in Ebensee, Austria after disrupting the commemoration of the 64th anniversary of the liberation of the camp from Nazi hands. They gave Nazi salutes, shouted "Heil Hitler," and shot pellets at several of the visitors, according to police.

Their actions were in violation of Austrian law, which bans neo-Nazi activities. The president of the Austrian parliament, Barbara Prammer, called the incident " beyond belief, dastardly, and shameful," and called for a full investigation.

In last week's blog I talked about the 64th anniversary of the liberation of this same concentration camp. I learned about Ebensee from my father just before he passed away. Toward the end of the war, he and other members of the Armed Forces in Europe were urged by Generals Eisenhower and Patton to go and observe the camps as they were liberated, because both men were outraged at what they had seen in the camps. They wanted to make sure there were as many witnesses as possible to the horrors that had taken place.

Ebensee's day of liberation came on May 6, but was marked this year on the 10th, a Saturday. It's a day that brings people from all over the world, many of them camp survivors and their families, as well as the American soldiers who arrived to assure their freedom. The numbers dwindle each year as the two groups age, but in spite of the difficulties of travel, many make the pilgrimage.

When I heard what had happened this year with these neo-Nazis, I thought back to 2005, when I attended the solemn events with three friends. Both soldiers and survivors were flooded with anguished memories. Survivors greeted each other with almost disbelief that they were still alive. Tears flowed as the crowd listened quietly and respectfully to the speakers.

I can't imagine what it was like last Saturday for that respectful quiet to be so crudely and cruelly broken. Sometimes words fail.

I took the photo above at the 60th anniversary commemoration at Ebensee in 2005.