• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Auschwitz, expressing his horror at the site.
• He vowed to combat the rising antisemitism affecting the Jewish community in Britain.
• The visit coincides with the upcoming 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation.
• Starmer condemned the hatred growing post-October 7 amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
• Around 1.1 million people perished at Auschwitz, with 90% being Jewish.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a poignant visit to the Auschwitz extermination camp in southern Poland on Friday, where he conveyed feelings of “sheer horror” upon witnessing the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. Accompanied by his wife, Victoria, Starmer described the experience as “utterly harrowing,” particularly emphasizing the chilling remnants that tell the stark story of the past, including “the mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases” and meticulously kept records of so many lives lost, all while “nothing could prepare me for the sheer horror of what I have seen” (AP News).

This visit is particularly significant, occurring just before the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation on January 27, 1945, a somber commemoration that will also be attended by King Charles III, as survivors continue to dwindle (SCMP). Starmer reflected on how the industrial-scale killing did not merely stem from the actions of a few malevolent individuals, but was instead “a collective endeavor by thousands of ordinary people who each played their part in constructing this whole industry of death.”

Starmer's visit comes amidst rising antisemitic sentiments, particularly heightened following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which escalated the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He remarked, “Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say ‘never again.’ But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world?” His concern extends specifically to the Jewish community in the UK, where fear has resonated in recent weeks. “As people are despicably targeted once again for the very same reason, because they are Jewish,” he stated, highlighting a pressing and critical community issue.

Starmer's visit to Auschwitz serves as a stark reminder of history's lessons and the ongoing fight against hate in all its forms.