Bathgate-based veteran's charity visit Auschwitz and see horrors of the Holocaust
Those attended described learning more about the horrific treatment of Jews, Poles, Romas and others during the Holocaust as being 'absolutely brutal'.
Members of Bathgate-based veteran's charity ASA Scotland visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, Schindler's factory and the Ghetto in Krakov, Poland.
Those attended described learning more about the horrific treatment of Jews, Poles, Romas and others during the Holocaust as being 'absolutely brutal'.
Nazis removed all personal possessions from prisoners, then their clothes, cutting off their hair, taking away their shoes and suitcases.
Thousands of shoes and cases, as well as hair are all displayed for the world to view.
Those at the camps also took away disabled people's walking sticks and cosmetic limbs before being murdered. Their walking aids have all been kept to show the world what the Nazi's did.
ASA members also described standing on the railway line where the trains carrying those arriving as emotional. At the end of the concentration camp, there was two huge gas chambers. They had been blown up by the Nazis to try and hide evidence from the world.
Tommy Davidson, secretary of ASA Scotland forces charity, said: 'This educational visit was difficult, but to truly understand the Holocaust and what took place just 80 years ago, we did it.
'You have so many mixed emotions walking through these museums, how can anyone try and deny the Holocaust never took place, the evidence is all there.
'The Nazis were evil, history is repeating across the World, we must to teach our past and learn from it.
'I urge every politician to take the journey to Poland to learn from the Holocaust, because political speeches every day breed hatred and division and it needs to stop right now.
'We need leadership across Scotland, the United Kingdom and across the world.
'We will aim to organise a display and share our experiences with young people and communities.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
We are Nobel laureates, scientists, writers and artists. The threat of fascism is back
On 1 May 1925, with Benito Mussolini already in power, a group of Italian intellectuals publicly denounced his fascist regime in an open letter. The signatories – scientists, philosophers, writers and artists – took a stand in support of the essential tenets of a free society: the rule of law, personal liberty and independent thinking, culture, art and science. Their open defiance against the brutal imposition of the fascist ideology – at great personal risk – proved that opposition was not only possible, but necessary. Today, 100 years later, the threat of fascism is back – and so we must summon that courage and defy it again. Fascism emerged in Italy a century ago, marking the advent of modern dictatorship. Within a few years, it spread across Europe and the world, taking different names but maintaining similar forms. Wherever it seized power, it undermined the separation of powers in the service of autocracy, silenced opposition through violence, took control of the press, halted the advancement of women's rights and crushed workers' struggles for economic justice. Inevitably, it permeated and distorted all institutions devoted to scientific, academic and cultural activities. Its cult of death exalted imperial aggression and genocidal racism, triggering the second world war, the Holocaust, the death of tens of millions of people and crimes against humanity. At the same time, the resistance to fascism and the many other fascist ideologies became a fertile ground for imagining alternative ways of organising societies and international relations. The world that emerged from the second world war – with the charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the theoretical foundations of the EU and the legal arguments against colonialism – remained marked by deep inequalities. Yet, it represented a decisive attempt to establish an international legal order: an aspiration toward global democracy and peace, grounded in the protection of universal human rights, including not only civil and political, but also economic, social and cultural rights. Fascism never vanished, but for a time it was held at bay. However, in the past two decades, we have witnessed a renewed wave of far-right movements, often bearing unmistakably fascist traits: attacks on democratic norms and institutions, a reinvigorated nationalism laced with racist rhetoric, authoritarian impulses and systematic assaults on the rights of those who do not fit a manufactured traditional authority, rooted in religious, sexual and gender normativity. These movements have re-emerged across the globe, including in long-standing democracies, where widespread dissatisfaction with political failure to address mounting inequalities and social exclusion has once again been exploited by new authoritarian figures. True to the old fascist script, under the guise of an unlimited popular mandate, these figures undermine national and international rule of law, targeting the independence of the judiciary, the press, institutions of culture, higher education and science, even attempting to destroy essential data and scientific information. They fabricate 'alternative facts' and invent 'enemies within'; they weaponise security concerns to entrench their authority and that of the ultra-wealthy 1%, offering privileges in exchange for loyalty. This process is now accelerating, as dissent is increasingly suppressed through arbitrary detentions, threats of violence, deportations and an unrelenting campaign of disinformation and propaganda, operated with the support of traditional and social media barons – some merely complacent, others openly techno-fascist enthusiasts. Democracies are not flawless: they are vulnerable to misinformation and they are not yet sufficiently inclusive. However, democracies by their nature provide fertile ground for intellectual and cultural progress and therefore always have the potential to improve. In democratic societies, human rights and freedoms can expand, the arts flourish, scientific discoveries thrive and knowledge grow. They grant the freedom to challenge ideas and question power structures, propose new theories even when culturally uncomfortable, which is essential to human advancement. Democratic institutions offer the best framework for addressing social injustices, and the best hope to fulfil the post-war promises of the rights to work, education, health, social security, participation in cultural and scientific life, and the collective right of peoples to development, self-determination and peace. Without this, humanity faces stagnation, growing inequality, injustice and catastrophe, not least from the existential threat caused by the climate emergency that the new fascist wave negates. In our hyper-connected world, democracy cannot exist in isolation. As national democracies require strong institutions, international cooperation relies on the effective implementation of democratic principles and multilateralism to regulate relations among nations, and on multistakeholder processes to engage a healthy society. The rule of law must extend beyond borders, ensuring that international treaties, human rights conventions and peace agreements are respected. While existing global governance and international institutions require improvement, their erosion in favor of a world governed by raw power, transactional logic and military might is a regression to an era of colonialism, suffering and destruction. As in 1925, we scientists, philosophers, writers, artists and citizens of the world have a responsibility to denounce and resist the resurgence of fascism in all its forms. We call on all those who value democracy to act: Defend democratic, cultural and educational institutions. Call out abuses of democratic principles and human rights. Refuse pre-emptive compliance. Join collective actions, locally and internationally. Boycott and strike when possible. Make resistance impossible to ignore and costly to repress. Uphold facts and evidence. Foster critical thinking and engage with your communities on these grounds. This is an ongoing struggle. Let our voices, our work and our principles be a bulwark against authoritarianism. Let this message be a renewed declaration of defiance. Nobel laureates: Eric Maskin, Roger B Myerson, Alvin E Roth, Lars Peter Hansen, Oliver Hart, Daron Acemoglu, Wolfgang Ketterle, John C Mather, Brian P Schmidt, Michel Mayor, Takaaki Kajita, Giorgio Parisi, Pierre Agostini, Joachim Frank, Richard J Roberts, Leland Hartwell, Paul Nurse, Jack W Szostak, Edvard I Moser, May-Britt Moser, Harvey James Alter, Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun, Barry James Marshall, Craig Mello, Charles Rice Leading scholars on fascism and democracy: Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Timothy Snyder, Jason Stanley, Claudia Koonz, Mia Fuller, Giovanni De Luna and Andrea Mammone The full list of signatories can be found here
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Netanyahu's Iran strike 'golden opportunity' as Trump 'unable to control him'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels emboldened to act against Iran because he believes he can control Donald Trump - and he will now move to assert Israel's dominance over the Middle East Donald Trump is unable to control Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu as he lays waste to Iran's nuclear facilities today, an expert has warned. Yesterday, Netanyahu released a video statement in which he declared the ongoing aerial assault as a way to "roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival". A report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency suggested that Iran is no longer abiding by its commitment to only use its uranium enrichment programme for civilian purposes. The "threat" Netanyahu refers to is the fears echoed by the IAEA that Tehran could already have enough Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) to build 10 nuclear warheads. "In recent months, Iran has taken steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponise this enriched uranium," he said. "If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year. This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival." The attack commenced within hours of dealmaker Trump saying the talks planned for the weekend were set to continue, raising questions over Netanyahu's timing. Professor Anthony Glees, a renowned international defence and security expert, explained this is a "golden opportunity" for Netanyahu to completely destroy the Islamic Republic and assert dominance over the wider region, all under the pretense of keeping Israel safe from Iranian warheads. "Netanyahu has made it clear that he is throwing everything into the destruction of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He's accusing it of preparing to wipe out Israel with nuclear weapons (he says they could make 9 atomic bombs in a 'few months' even a 'very short time') and he won't repeat the errors of the last century when no one took the threat of Nazi extermination of the Jews seriously," he tells The Mirror. "Netanyahu realises that he has a golden opportunity now that Biden and Blinken have gone to redraw the map of the Middle East and assert Israel's total control of the entire region." "He feels he's in a position to manipulate Trump because, although it's clear neither Trump nor Rubio wanted him to strike, neither of them are able politically to control him," he added. During his video, Netanyahu likened Israel to the US state of New Jersey - which Professor Glees believes was a nod to the American audience, who he believes support him fully. Professor Glees believes its unlikely Netanyahu's plan will backfire and he won't get the dominance or security he seeks. It's also likely that the public in other Arab states will not stand for Israel decimating Iran, forcing leaders to act and form a league against Israel. He said: "My guess is that Operation Rising Lion will not sort the problem of Israel's security. Israel cannot even defeat Hamas in Gaza let alone take on a united Arab front. The Iranian counter-attack may kill many Israelis over the next hours and days."
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
After years of waiting, Israel's Netanyahu finally makes his move on Iran
JERUSALEM, June 13 (Reuters) - Iran once ridiculed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the boy who cried wolf for his constant public warnings about Tehran's nuclear programme, and his repeated threats to shut it down, one way or another. "You can only fool some of the people so many times," Iran's then-foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said in 2018 after Netanyahu had once again accused Iran of planning to build nuclear weapons. On Friday, after two decades of continually raising the alarm and urging other world leaders to act, Netanyahu finally decided to go it alone, authorising an Israeli air assault aimed, Israel says, at preventing Iran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. In an address to the nation, Netanyahu, as he has so often before, evoked the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust in World War Two to explain his decision. "Nearly a century ago, facing the Nazis, a generation of leaders failed to act in time," Netanyahu said, adding that a policy of appeasing Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had led to the deaths of 6 million Jews, "a third of my people". "After that war, the Jewish people and the Jewish state vowed never again. Well, never again is now today. Israel has shown that we have learned the lessons of history." Iran says its nuclear energy programme is only for peaceful purposes, although the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday declared the country in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. Netanyahu, a former member of an elite special forces unit responsible for some of Israel's most daring hostage rescues, has dominated its politics for decades, becoming the longest-serving prime minister when he won an unprecedented sixth term in 2022. Throughout his years in office, he rarely missed an opportunity to lecture foreign leaders about the dangers posed by Iran, displaying cartoons of an atomic bomb at the United Nations, while always hinting he was ready to strike. In past premierships, military analysts said his room for manoeuvre with Iran was limited by fears an attack would trigger instant retaliation from Tehran's regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, that would be hard to contain. But the past two years have upended the Middle East, with Israel hammering Hamas after it launched a massive surprise attack of its own against Israel in October 2023, and then dismantling much of Hezbollah in just a few days in 2024. Israel has also sparred openly with Tehran since 2024, firing rocket salvos deep into Iran last year that gave Netanyahu confidence in the power of his military reach. Israeli military sources said the strikes disabled four of Iran's Russian-made air-defence systems, including one positioned near Natanz, a key Iranian nuclear site that was targeted, according to Iranian television. "Iran is more exposed than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities. We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal — to thwart and eliminate the existential threat," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in November. But much to the consternation of Netanyahu, newly installed U.S. President Donald Trump blindsided him during a visit to the White House in April, when he announced the United States and Iran were poised to begin direct nuclear talks. Netanyahu has locked horns with successive U.S. presidents over Iran, most noticeably Barack Obama, who approved a deal with Tehran in 2015 imposing significant restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump pulled out of the accord in 2018, and Netanyahu had hoped that he would continue to take an uncompromising stance against Iran when he returned to office this year. In announcing talks, the White House set a two-month deadline for Iran to sign a deal. Even though a fresh round of meetings was set for this weekend, the unofficial deadline expired on Thursday and Netanyahu pounced. One Israeli official told state broadcaster Kan that Israel had coordinated with Washington ahead of the attacks and suggested recent newspaper reports of a rift between Trump and Netanyahu over Iran had been a ruse to lull the Tehran leadership into a false sense of security. Trump - who said after the strikes began that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb but that he wants talks to proceed - has previously hailed the right-wing Netanyahu as a great friend. Other leaders have struggled with him. In 2015, then-President Nicolas Sarkozy of France was overheard talking about Netanyahu with Obama. "I can't stand him any more, he's a liar," he said. The man once known as "King Bibi" to his supporters has faced a difficult few years and at 75, time is running out for him to secure his legacy. His hawkish image was badly tarnished by the 2023 Hamas attack, with polls showing most Israelis blaming him for the security failures that allowed the deadliest assault since the founding of the nation more than 75 years ago. He has subsequently been indicted by the International Criminal Court over possible war crimes tied to Israel's 20-month invasion of Gaza, which has reduced much of the Palestinian territory to rubble. He rejects the charges against him. Polls show most Israelis believe the war in Gaza has gone on for too long, with Netanyahu dragging out the conflict to stay in power and stave off elections that pollsters say he will lose. Even as the multi-front war has progressed, he has had to take the stand in his own, long-running corruption trial, where he denies any wrongdoing, which has further dented his reputation at home. However, he hopes a successful military campaign against Israel's arch foe will secure his place in the history books he so loves to read. "Generations from now, history will record that our generation stood its ground, acted in time and secured our common future. May God bless Israel. May God bless the forces of civilisation, everywhere," he said in Friday's speech.
