PM makes emotional trip to Auschwitz

Tuesday, 28 April 2009 11:36 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

Gordon Brown has visited the former concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau while on a trip to Poland.

He is in Poland for talks with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk over troop deployments in Afghanistan and will visit the site later this afternoon.

Poland is seeking international help to set up a ?120 million foundation to preserve the memorial, a plan which the prime minister is in favour of.

He said it must be maintained as a symbol of "the evil that men can do and the determination it can never happen again".

For Mr Brown it is the fulfilment of a long-held ambition to visit the site, having been a long-time supporter of the memorial and programmes aimed at improving Holocaust education.

His visit has been welcomed by Holocaust education groups who said it could be inspirational for young people.

"The prime minister has been a long standing supporter of Holocaust education and we are pleased that he is taking this opportunity to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau today and pay tribute to the millions who suffered at the hands of the Nazis," Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said.

"We hope that his visit will inspire other young people to join us on the Lessons from Auschwitz Project and become ambassadors in their own communities, raising awareness of the past and challenging prejudice and racism today."

As well as Afghanistan - where Poland are sending a further 400 troops to bring their total presence to 2,000 - the prime minister said he had discussed a range of issues with Mr Tusk including the global economy and proposals for nuclear disarmament.

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