• Germany has cancelled an auction of Holocaust artefacts after significant backlash.
• The auction included over 600 items, including personal letters and documents from concentration camps.
• International organizations and political leaders criticized the sale as "cynical and shameless."
• The auction was intended for items from Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.
• The International Auschwitz Committee emphasized that such items should be preserved in museums rather than sold.

A planned auction in Germany of Holocaust artefacts, including over 600 items from concentration camps like Auschwitz and Buchenwald, was cancelled following a public outcry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed the cancellation, noting that it followed discussions with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, who stated that “such a scandal must be prevented,” according to SCMP and BBC.

The controversial auction was organized by the Felzmann auction house in Neuss and included items such as letters written by concentration camp prisoners and documentation regarding forced sterilizations from camps like Dachau. These items had been deemed offensive and disrespectful to the memory of Holocaust victims, prompting swift action from various Holocaust survivor groups who called for the auction's cancellation, as reported by Indiatimes and SCMP.

Christoph Heubner, an executive vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee, described the auction as “cynical and shameless.” He emphasized that Holocaust relics should belong to the victims' families and be displayed in museums, not sold as commodities. This sentiment was echoed by other political figures who stressed the importance of maintaining dignity for those affected, according to SCMP and BBC.

The removal of the auction listing from the auction house's website marks a significant victory for advocates against the commodification of Holocaust artefacts. The German State Minister for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, stated that such documents do not belong in private collections and called for measures to prevent similar auctions in the future, reinforcing the consensus that “respect for victims requires the dignity of silence, not the din of commerce,” according to SCMP and BBC.