Ice cream van parked outside Auschwitz ‘inappropriate on grandest scale’

An ice cream van parked outside the entrance to Auschwitz has drawn harsh criticism from the Auschwitz Museum and the Holocaust Educational Trust. 

The van, which had an ‘Ice Love’ logo on it, was parked just not far from the “Death Gate”, which served as the main entrance into the most notorious Nazi death camp during World War II.

“Auschwitz stands as a warning to us all of where antisemitism and hatred can lead. It is where 1.1 million men, women and children – mostly Jewish – were murdered. It is a place of remembrance, of learning, and of grief,” Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, told Jewish News.

“To have an ice cream van in view of the ‘Death Gate’ is not just distasteful but inappropriate on the grandest of scales,” Pollock added.

Auschwitz Museum in charge of the site also reacted with fury: “This is an example of not only aesthetic tastelessness, but also a lack of respect for a special historical place located nearby,” Daily Mirror quoted their spokesperson as saying.

“However, this trailer is located outside the protection zone of the Monument to the Holocaust, so unfortunately we have no influence on it. We trust that the competent local government authorities will solve this embarrassing problem,” the spokesperson added.

The site has previously been at the centre of controversies sparked by incidents considered insensitive or downright hateful.

In 2018, three schoolgirls made Nazi salutes outside Auschwitz and posted it to their Instagram.

Last year, a 28-year-old Dutch woman was detained after making a similar salute outside the front of the Arbeit Macht Frei (meaning Work Sets You Free) gate. The woman claimed it was a “bad joke.”