Auschwitz-Inspired Sign Removed From Packard Plant
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Placards posted at a deteriorating former Detroit car plant that spelled out words that were part of a metal gate at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland have been removed.
The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement Tuesday that the posting of "Arbeit macht frei" at the defunct Packard plant was "an intentional and malicious act" and requested its quick removal. The sign, which recently began attracting attention, was removed later that day.
The German phrase meaning "Work makes free" greeted Jews and other prisoners the Germans sent to Auschwitz during World War II. An estimated 1.1 million to 1.5 million people died there.
It's unknown who put up the letters.
The factory that built luxury Packard cars at the start of the 20th Century, closed in 1958. The city of Detroit has pledged to take the plant down, but that hasn't happened yet.
The sign was removed by a volunteer from the group "Detroit Funk."
MORE: Packard Plant Tagged With Nazi Slogan 'Arbeit Macht Frei'
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