An Israeli student and tourist is currently facing a hefty fine and a serious charge after performing a Nazi salute in Auschwitz, Poland. And yes, the incident took place exactly in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during a history tour, which stands as a reminder to the extremity of the Holocaust back in World War 2, when six million Jews were massacred.
The Israeli was a 12th-grade student who was visiting the site as part of his high school trip from Israel. According to the reports, the student performed the Nazi salute right under the “Arbeit Macht Frei” (or Work Sets You Free) gate, which is the entrance to the former Nazi concentration camp. For the student’s actions, they were fined 1,500 zloty or around $370.
For starters, the Nazi salute is illegal in Poland with some punishments reaching up to six months in jail. Other more severe punishments for Nazi gestures and offenses could reach up to two years in prison.
Hence, it appears the Israeli student got off lightly with a rather manageable fine. However, punishment for the anonymous Israeli student doesn’t stop there since the Israeli Education Ministry has caught wind of the matter and has promised to treat the incident with the “utmost severity.”
In addition, the Education Ministry has claimed that “This behavior is entirely unacceptable, contradicts the values of Israeli education, and undermines the significance of the trip to Poland,” in a statement, according to YNet News.
Some People Are Attributing The Israeli Students’ Boldness to Elon Musk
For an added layer of irony to the situation, Elon Musk, billionaire and tech magnate also performed what appeared to be a Nazi gesture and in President Donald Trump’s inauguration nonetheless.
The Israeli government, however, didn’t appear to condemn Musk– in fact, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, even defended Elon Musk, stating that the billionaire is “falsely smeared” and that he is a “great friend of Israel” despite the Nazi salute. It’s worth noting that more than 70 percent of Israel’s current population are Jews, some of whom are descendants of Holocaust victims.
Hence, certain reactions to the aforementioned Israeli student’s Nazi salute at Auschwitz drew some associations with Elon Musk’s very own gesture back earlier January.
“Kid probably thought it was edgy, saw their favourite tech ‘genius’ do it so it must’ve been cool.
Nevertheless, make them realise what it means to make such a gesture! They should never want to do any such thing ever again after,” according to Redditor u/jesuismanu
“All the Zionists were backing MElon when he did it cos he’s pro-Israel, so sadly it doesn’t surprise me” claims Redditor u/redelectro7
“Elon after making antisemitic remarks on twitter had to go to Aushwitz for an apology tour with Ben Shapiro. Then this year he did a Nazi salute
He probably went there just to admire his heroes’ work,” claims Redditor u/sad-mustache
Several years prior, the Israeli student wasn’t the first youth to perform a Nazi salute right at the gates of Auschwitz. A couple of Turkish students also did it back in 2013 and were jailed for six months. Meanwhile, it seems even some adults couldn’t resist, because a 29-year-old Dutch woman also performed the gesture back in 2022.
