Merkel sends message with Auschwitz visit

OSWIECIM, Poland－Angela Merkel visited the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz on Friday for the first time in her 14 years as chancellor, as Germany grapples with a resurgence of anti-Semitism and the growth of the far-right.

Merkel became only the third German chancellor to visit the camp in Poland, with her highly symbolic trip coming ahead of the 75th anniversary of its liberation by Soviet troops on Jan 27, 1945.

On the eve of her trip, Merkel said that "the fight against anti-Semitism and against all forms of hate" was a priority for her government.

The 65-year-old also promised "determination" from the government in making Jewish life flourish in Germany.

Merkel began the visit by walking through a gate bearing the chilling Nazi message "Arbeit macht frei" (Work will set you free).

She held a minute's silence by the Death Wall where thousands of prisoners were shot dead.

Merkel also laid a wreath at the nearby Birkenau camp.

The visit "is a particularly important signal of attention and solidarity at a time when Auschwitz survivors are victims of anti-Semitic insults and hate-filled emails", said Christoph Heubner, deputy chairman of the Auschwitz International Committee.

Ahead of her trip, Germany's federal states approved a $66 million donation for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.

Merkel was accompanied by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and a survivor of the camp.

More than 3 million of Poland's 3.2 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, roughly around half of all Jews murdered during the war.