not message was also, "do not hate." that was his message of tolerance and love. but you've also heard about people who, their very last moment of seeing theirfamily as their very last moment of seeing their family as they get out of that cattle truck, one being sent to the left, one to the right, not knowing their fate until afterwards. ellie reeves l talks about holding his father's hand, he sees his mother and sister sent in one direction, his mother stroking his sister's hair, and only realising later that that was the last time he would see them, and his father held his hand more tightly —— elie wiesel. hand more tightly -- elie wiesel. �* , hand more tightly -- elie wiesel. �*, ., ., wiesel. it's so important to name these _ wiesel. it's so important to name these people - wiesel. it's so important to name these people that. wiesel. it's so important to | name these people that can still tell these stories because these are not anomalous

stories, these are real people —— anonymous stories. this enormous camp, great pains have been taken to preserve most of it, but even towards the very end of the existence of this camp, they were planning to extend even further.- extend even further. yes, it was in the _ extend even further. yes, it was in the summer- extend even further. yes, it was in the summer of- extend even further. yes, it was in the summer of 1944' extend even further. yes, it - was in the summer of 1944 they were _ was in the summer of 1944 they were planning to double the size of— were planning to double the size of birkenau, the camp that was nicknamed simply mexico, never— was nicknamed simply mexico, never came to fruition. himmler ordered — never came to fruition. himmler ordered the end of the gassing in november1944, but ordered the end of the gassing in november 1944, but the previous— in november 1944, but the previous month, october, 40,000 people _ previous month, october, 40,000 people exterminated here. the apparatus of killing wasn't completely destroyed until the night _ completely destroyed until the night of— completely destroyed until the night of 25—26 january, so the shootings _ night of 25—26 january, so the shootings and killings went right— shootings and killings went right up until the bitter end when — right up until the bitter end when the russians turned up on the afternoon of 27 january. so yes, _ the afternoon of 27 january. so yes, it's — the afternoon of 27 january. so yes, it's incredible, really, you—

yes, it's incredible, really, you think_ yes, it's incredible, really, you think the germans were so obviously— you think the germans were so obviously losing, the whole third — obviously losing, the whole third reich was crumbling to nothing _ third reich was crumbling to nothing - _ third reich was crumbling to nothing — yet they were still going — nothing — yet they were still going on— nothing — yet they were still going on with incredibly warped and cruei— going on with incredibly warped and cruel ideology until the very— and cruel ideology until the very end. and cruel ideology until the very end-— and cruel ideology until the ve end. , , , very end. and the biggest camp here, auschwitz-birkenau, - very end. and the biggest camp here, auschwitz-birkenau, was| here, auschwitz—birkenau, was destroyed by the germans, the crematorium blown up — this area, the main camp with the notorious setting of —— saying over it, "work sets you free," is preserved as a memory. absolutely, that sign, the cynical advice to prisoners as they arrive, "work sets you free," as if this is what will set you free — freedom was far beyond their reach, and the preservation of the site is so important because there are people who question the truth of the holocaust, there are people today who, despite all the evidence, somehow challenge it and think this is made up. so we need to be able to point to this and show people, and

just allow for more people to see it and become witnesses. i think there's something else to be said about this place — the purpose of the nazis was to dehumanize people, it was a whole process of dehumanisation, giving tattoos so that they are just a number, shaving their hair so they can't even recognise each other. and these survivors, what they've done afterwards and said, "we will retain and regain our dignity and our humanity." karen and james, thank you so much forjoining me on this usually important day, sharing your knowledge and thoughts with us. it's been a day of great emotion, great solemnity, and a day when we are told to never forget what happened here, never let it happened here, never let it happen again. i'll leave you know with some of the key moments from today's commemoration of this, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz.

on an ic, windy day, i stood and watched helplessly as little girls from the nearby barrick were marched away crying and shivering to the gas chamber.

we were victims in a moral vacuum. but today, however, we have an obligation not only to remember, but also to warn and to teach that hatred only begets more hatred.

hello, i'm lucy hockings at the auschwitz—birkenau concentration and extermination camp, where we havejust watched the most sombre and poignant ceremony. holocaust survivors, some of them very frail, have beenjoined by european leaders and royalty to mark the 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation. music. it began with the haunting sound of lament, composed byjames simon, a jewish german composer who was killed at auschwitz. some of those survivors, when you see them, you can see they are old, many in their late 80s and 90s, spoke at the eventjust a few

kilometres away from here. they made it here at auschwitz— birkenau. others sat and listened, wrapped in blue—and—white striped scarves in a nod to the clothes worn by the prisoners in the camp before the liberation. auschwitz—birkenau was the largest of the extermination camps and has become a symbol of nazi germany's genocide of 6 millionjews. imillionjews and more than 100,000 non—jews died at the site between 1940—1945. marian turski, who's 98, is a very symbolic choice of speaker for this event. he survived the lodz ghetto as a teenager and was deported to auschwitz, where his brother

and father were murdered. translation: it is absolutely i understandable, if not downright obvious that people, that the media turn to us, to those who survived, so that we shared with