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Gardaí investigating placement of Nazi slogan over welfare office as 'potential incitement of hatred'

Gardaí are investigating the placement of a Nazi slogan over the entrance to a Cork social welfa...
Michael Staines
Michael Staines

17.20 18 Oct 2019


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Gardaí investigating placement...

Gardaí investigating placement of Nazi slogan over welfare office as 'potential incitement of hatred'

Michael Staines
Michael Staines

17.20 18 Oct 2019


Share this article


Gardaí are investigating the placement of a Nazi slogan over the entrance to a Cork social welfare office as 'potential incitement of hatred.'

The Department of Social Protection said it removed the “extremely offensive sign” from the office on Hannover Street in Cork city as soon as it became aware of it.

It said it was placed outside the office by “unknown persons” and confirmed that it had reported the matter to Gardaí.

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The sign reading ‘Job Path Macht Frei’ referenced the Nazi holocaust slogan "Arbeit macht frei."

The slogan, which translates as ‘work will set you free,’ appeared over a number of Nazi concentration camps during the holocaust.

The lettering mirrored that of the sign placed over the Auschwitz camp in Poland.

This afternoon, Gardaí appealed for anyone with any information about the incident to contact them.

They confirmed that it is being investigated as potential “incitement of hatred.”

A spokesperson said the recently introduced Garda Diversity and Integration Strategy had a “significant focus on enhancing the identification, reporting, investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.”

The force introduced a new working definition of a 'hate crime' as part of the strategy.

The definition reads: "Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person to, in whole or in part, be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on actual or perceived age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender."

After images of the sign were shared online yesterday, the Auschwitz Memorial warned that the slogan had become “one of the icons of human hatred hate” and called for it to be immediately removed.

After the Department of Welfare confirmed that it was placed there without its knowledge, the memorial welcomed its “very quick and clear reaction when the sad incident was noticed.”


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