Other Spanish-language media, including Infobae, repeated the phrase, sparking condemnation from historians and officials seeking to clarify that the camp was established and operated by Nazi Germany on occupied Polish territory during World War Two.
“On Monday at the Polish camp of Auschwitz, a group of survivors took part in the 80th-anniversary commemoration attended by Spain’s king and other heads of state and government from Europe,” read EFE’s story, published in connection with the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. The outlet 20minutos.es similarly described Auschwitz as a “notorious Polish camp.”
80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation
On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops entered Auschwitz, liberating some 7,000 prisoners, including around 500 children. On Monday, commemorations were held at the site to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Britain’s King Charles III were among those in attendance, along with 62 survivors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made an unannounced visit, and approximately 3,000 people took part in total, including delegates from 60 countries and international organizations.
Nazi German death camp on occupied Polish Soil
Established by Nazi Germany in 1940, Auschwitz was initially intended to detain political prisoners—mainly Poles. Over time, it became a center of mass extermination for Jews deported from across Europe.
At least 1.3 million individuals were sent to Auschwitz, underscoring its role as a major site of the Holocaust on German-occupied Polish territory.
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Source: Gazeta.pl, PAP, IAR, France24