A 26-year-old Lithuanian citizen was detained on Saturday, October 10, at the site of the former Auschwitz camp, when he posed for a photo making a Hitler salute. He was charged with promoting Nazism, admitted his guilt and voluntarily accepted a fine as punishment.
The incident happened during a visit to the memorial site in Oświęcim. As the spokeswoman for the Oświęcim District Police Headquarters, Senior Sergeant Małgorzata Jurecka, told the PAP news agency on Monday, the man was photographed by his wife. Staff of the Museum Guard of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum noticed the gesture, detained him and called the police (Radio Kraków, via PAP).
How the Intervention Unfolded
According to the police statement, the report from the museum guards came in on Saturday evening. Officers went to the museum, took the 26-year-old into custody and drove him to the police station in Oświęcim. Detectives from the criminal investigation department established that the man had posed for a photo while making a Hitler salute. The District Prosecutor’s Office in Oświęcim was notified of the case (Kronika24, based on the police statement).
Charge and Penalty
Based on the evidence gathered, the 26-year-old was charged with promoting Nazism. “He admitted his guilt and voluntarily accepted the penalty,” the police spokeswoman told PAP. The man must pay a fine of 2,000 zloty.
For promoting Nazism, the Polish Criminal Code provides for a fine, a restriction of liberty or imprisonment of up to three years. The fine in this case is therefore one of the mildest possible penalties.
Not the First Such Case
The regional portal Beskidzka24 recalls that a similar incident involving a Colombian citizen, who also made a Nazi salute on the grounds of the former camp, recently drew wide attention. In that case, according to this portal, a decision was made to deport him and impose a five-year ban on entering Poland. In the Lithuanian’s case, no information about such consequences was given.
What It Means
For museum visitors, the case is a reminder that Nazi gestures and symbols on the grounds of the former camp, where Germans murdered more than a million people, can lead to detention and criminal proceedings, including for foreigners. Police stress that the site demands respect and dignity.
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