http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100318/ap_ ... sign/printPoland convicts 3 men in theft of Auschwitz sign
By VANESSA GERA, Associated Press Writer
26 mins ago
.WARSAW, Poland – A Polish court on Thursday convicted three men of the theft of the notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) sign from the Auschwitz memorial site in December.
The men, two of whom are brothers, were given prison sentences ranging from 18 months to 2 1/2 years.
Krakow's district court said the men confessed to the theft and agreed to settlements, which meant the case did not have to go to trial. The court identified them only as Radoslaw M., Lukasz M. and Pawel S. in keeping with Polish privacy laws.
The theft occurred in the night between Dec. 17 and Dec. 18, a brazen heist that shocked Holocaust survivors and many others committed to preserving the Auschwitz-Birkenau site.
The former death camp gets more than 1 million visitors a year and is one of Europe's most important sites honoring the memory of the Nazis' victims and of warning the world about the dangers of hatred and totalitarianism.
The thieves left traces in the snow and then cut the sign into three pieces to make it easier to transport. They also left behind the last letter "i" in the snow. Authorities later said that the Polish men who carried out the theft were petty thieves working on commission for someone else.
A Swedish man with a neo-Nazi background, Anders Hogstrom, is also a suspect. He is under arrest in Sweden and due to be extradited to Poland. Two other Polish suspects remain imprisoned and under investigation.
Polish authorities have been tightlipped about the case against Hogstrom and other aspects of the case. They have not specified what role they believe Hogstrom played, nor said if he was the ultimate buyer.
Some media reports have suggested that a British collector of Nazi memorabilia commissioned the theft, but police prosecutors have not confirmed that.
Officials with the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial museum have their doubts about the collector hypothesis given that the theft was so badly botched, said spokesman Pawel Sawicki.
Police tracked down the cut up sign in a snow-covered forest on the other side of Poland less than three days after it was stolen.
The cynical slogan on the Auschwitz sign has come to be a potent symbol of Nazi Germany's atrocities during World War II and the Holocaust.
Between 1940 and 45 more than 1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau or died of starvation or disease while forced to perform hard physical labor at the camp.
'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwitz
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Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwitz
- Musashi
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Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwitz
I've read yesterday, the criminals proposed a penalty for themselves (according to Polish law it's possible and it speeds the case up). They proposed to be sentenced between 2 (in case of the driver) and 4 years in prison and the prosecutor has accepted the penalty.
The Swedish citizen is waiting to be extradited to Poland.
The Swedish citizen is waiting to be extradited to Poland.
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Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwitz
The Poles of today are obviously not as tough as they used to be, Musashi.I've read yesterday, the criminals proposed a penalty for themselves (according to Polish law it's possible and it speeds the case up). They proposed to be sentenced between 2 (in case of the driver) and 4 years in prison and the prosecutor has accepted the penalty.
Back in the old days, when Poland was under the beneficent rule of Germany and the Soviet Union, Poles brought before the courts usually requested to be given the death penalty, and the merciful prosecutors reluctantly accepted that request.
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Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwitz
Let's get back on topic, please.
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8612148.stmA Swedish man suspected of having masterminded the theft of a sign from the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz has been extradited to Poland.
Anders Hogstrom arrived in Warsaw before being taken to Krakow, not far from Auschwitz, for questioning, the BBC's Adam Easton reports.
Mr Hogstrom, a 34-year-old former neo-Nazi leader, denies any wrongdoing.
He told a Swedish newspaper that he was asked to take possession of the sign on behalf of an unnamed collector.
He said, however, that he did not want to be involved and tipped off the Polish police.
Five Polish men have have been charged with stealing the sign.
Mr Hogstrom helped found the far-right National Socialist Front in 1994, but later left the organisation.
If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years, which he could serve in Sweden.
/Marcus
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
Deportation for a theft in 2010?!
Came on, kick his ass badly a couple of times, let him pay few thousands EUR as fine and throw it back to Sweden.
IMHO we already have too many troubles to solve on this world, no need to waste time after idiots.
Came on, kick his ass badly a couple of times, let him pay few thousands EUR as fine and throw it back to Sweden.
IMHO we already have too many troubles to solve on this world, no need to waste time after idiots.
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Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
perhaps Sweden does not want a Neo-Nazi upon it's soil and has no problem deporting him to face criminal charges upon and within the country of origin it had taken place upon. As I agree why would Swedish courts waste their time on an idiot when and if indeed the crime took place in Poland!Hecht wrote:Deportation for a theft in 2010?!
Came on, kick his ass badly a couple of times, let him pay few thousands EUR as fine and throw it back to Sweden.
IMHO we already have too many troubles to solve on this world, no need to waste time after idiots.
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
And you may just have written without thinking of the word, Hecht, but "extradition" is not "deportation."
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
Yes, that's me fault, but still think you ask extradition for serious crimes, not for thefts.uberjude wrote:And you may just have written without thinking of the word, Hecht, but "extradition" is not "deportation."
After all, we pay with our taxes for such things, so, just kick him in the a and let him pay the fine.
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
Let's drop the opinion posts.
/Marcus
/Marcus
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
http://www.thelocal.se/27152/20100610/Polish authorities want to question a second Swede, millionaire Lars-Göran Wahlström, about the theft of the "Arbeit macht frei" sign at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The news was reported by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, quoting Austrian news agency APA. According to the newspaper, Wahlström has a Nazi past.
Wahlström currently has power of attorney over the affairs of Anders Högstrom, who in early April was extradited to Poland on suspicion of being the brains behind the theft. He has since been in custody in Krakow awaiting trial.
During questioning, Högstrom is thought to have accused Wahlström of commissioning him and several Polish men to steal the sign. Wahlström has long denied the charges, including in an interview with newspaper Aftonbladet in January, when he said that he would be happy to be questioned by Polish police.
The Polish prosecution's spokeswoman told Rzeczpospolita that Poland will once again request assistance from the Swedish authorities. She refused to confirm whether the application was regarding a hearing for Wahlström. However, the newspaper reports that it has received reliable information regarding the case.
/Marcus
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
So, what's the status of the sign? Has it been repaired and reinstalled?
I wish the criminals responsible for the theft could serve their sentance in Aushwitz. I say 10 years community service to restore and preserve that tragic site which they so callously desicrated. Make them work to repair the grounds and give tours there. Maybe they'll learn some proper respect for history, rather than treat it as some trinkets and trophies to steal.
I wish the criminals responsible for the theft could serve their sentance in Aushwitz. I say 10 years community service to restore and preserve that tragic site which they so callously desicrated. Make them work to repair the grounds and give tours there. Maybe they'll learn some proper respect for history, rather than treat it as some trinkets and trophies to steal.
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
I wish the criminals responsible could be hanged.Mimbrogno wrote:So, what's the status of the sign? Has it been repaired and reinstalled?
I wish the criminals responsible for the theft could serve their sentance in Aushwitz. I say 10 years community service to restore and preserve that tragic site which they so callously desicrated. Make them work to repair the grounds and give tours there. Maybe they'll learn some proper respect for history, rather than treat it as some trinkets and trophies to steal.
No, wait, let's set up a new Nurnberg trial just for them, and then we hang them.
Please, do me a favor, it's a theft not a murder, for god's sake, in EU we punish theft with sentence and fines not with life sentence, why should this theft be different from any other?
- bf109 emil
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Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
I agree as a theft is a theft, but what might be difference is....was the sign stolen, the result of a simple theft, or was it done under racial terms or agenda. If this is the motive, then the stealing of a sign is not simply a theft, but a racial crime against another persons/religion and thus it becomes a hate crime which ended with a theft. Rather then an opposed theft, which might be scene as being or wrongfully accused as being racially motivated by prosecuting groups or media. Until this is determined, yes we have a theft, but if the theft was done under a racial hatred or factored as such, then we have a hate crime incident which would and does result in a much stricter sentence then a simple everyday European thievery.Hecht wrote:I wish the criminals responsible could be hanged.Mimbrogno wrote:So, what's the status of the sign? Has it been repaired and reinstalled?
I wish the criminals responsible for the theft could serve their sentance in Aushwitz. I say 10 years community service to restore and preserve that tragic site which they so callously desicrated. Make them work to repair the grounds and give tours there. Maybe they'll learn some proper respect for history, rather than treat it as some trinkets and trophies to steal.
No, wait, let's set up a new Nurnberg trial just for them, and then we hang them.
Please, do me a favor, it's a theft not a murder, for god's sake, in EU we punish theft with sentence and fines not with life sentence, why should this theft be different from any other?
Re: 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription was stolen from Auschwit
Indeed but 10 years 'community service' at a fixed location in the middle of nowhere? That is basically the equivalent of serving 10 years in a minimum security prison. I could go out and stab someone for being black and I would still get a lower sentence than that, and they love to gaol people where I live.