Auschwitz 80th anniversary

The 80th anniversary of Auschwitz is a time of reflection on the unfortunate demise of many victims of concentration camps during World War II. These people were Jews, Poles, Soviets, and from other nationalities in Nazi-occupied territories.

The massacre of these people is an unfortunate tragedy that is marked every year in remembrance.

It is also considered as the Holocaust, recalling all those Jews who were killed in the concentration camps. Many people who were sent to the camps were either gassed immediately or imprisoned and starved to death.

The mass killings left a very nasty mark across Europe and Nazi criminals have been prosecuted almost until recently. There were some people who escaped the camps and lived to tell the tale.

I would like to extend my condolences to the families who had victims in the concentration camps as well as my own family members who were affected.I would also like to express solidarity with the survivors of this darkest time in our recent history.

May we remember this anniversary and not let history repeat itself. We must do all we can in our power to prevent these events from happening ever again.

Mark John Galea – Sliema

The buildings and watchtowers at Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp, a sombre reminder of the atrocities committed during World War II. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Youth and the military

Jeremy Attard’s letter (January 19) makes an excellent point about Malta’s under-investment in its armed forces and military hardware.

Being neutral does not prevent another imperialist or power-hungry country popping into the Grand Harbour and taking Malta over (remember Bonaparte?). Nor does being a member of the EU when the takeover is by stealth and key politicians and public servants are blackmailed into acquiescing. 

The EU can only help if it is invited to do so.

For a satirical look at the chaos that can very quickly escalate when a foreign power sets its sights on Malta’s deep and defenceless warm water port, dissent is dealt with harshly and ruthlessly, and some Maltese seek to profit from the collapse of democracy, look no further than book six in the Inspector George Zammit crime series, The Car Horn Revolution. It may be fiction, but it is not a million miles away from the bounds of possibility. And any surge in investment now will not cut through for years, if not decades.

For all the noble principles of neutrality, today is a very different world. Witness what happened in Ukraine which was much better prepared. I am no expert on the historic reasons for neutrality, but feel Malta is a lame sitting duck and should expedite an application to NATO as soon as possible!

Janet Wojtkow – St Julian’s