A German auction house has faced a wave of backlash and subsequent cancellation of its planned sale of Holocaust artefacts. The auction, titled 'The System of Terror', was set to take place on Monday at the Felzmann auction house in western Neuss, near Düsseldorf. The auction included over 600 items, such as letters written by prisoners from German concentration camps to their loved ones, Gestapo index cards, and other documents from perpetrators. Holocaust survivors and the International Auschwitz Committee strongly opposed the sale, describing it as 'cynical and shameless'. The auction's cancellation came after Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced it on X, stating that he and the German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul agreed to prevent such a scandal. The auction's listing was removed from the Felzmann auction house website, and the house has not yet responded to inquiries. This incident highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the ethical handling of Holocaust artefacts and the importance of sensitivity and respect for the victims and survivors of this tragic period in history.
