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The Netherlands

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to attend 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

auschwitz

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are among the first royals to confirm their attendance at events marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. They will be joined by the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte.

Other royals who have been confirmed are His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who will be accompanied by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the Speaker of the Parliament, Andreas Norlén,

Other heads of state will include President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, President Reuven Rivlin of Israel, President George William Vella of Malta and President Andrzej Duda of Poland. Greece will be represented by their Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Estonia will be represented by the Minister of Population, Riina Solman.

The 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz will take place on 27 January 2020. Around 200 survivors are also expected to attend. The commemoration will also be broadcast live all over the world.

The Red Army liberated Auschwitz on 27 January 1945 and found just 7,500 prisoners alive. Many prisoners had evacuated as the Red Army approached and were taken on death marches. Over 1,1 million people were murdered at Auschwitz.

“This anniversary, this memory, this symbol of the liberation of Auschwitz, shows one of the essential foundations of the post-war life in Europe and the world. That is why I am not surprised that so many decision-makers understand perfectly well that it is difficult to be anywhere else on this particular day. It is clear that on the 75th anniversary, we all want to stand together with Auschwitz Survivors live among us,’ said Piotr M. A. Cywiński, director of the Museum, on their website.