Jews protest Munich plan for parade on day of Holocaust remembrance

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Jewish groups are protesting the Bavarian city of Munich's plans to hold a Carnival parade on the same day the UN has established as an annual day of Holocaust remembrance. The International Auschwitz Committee on Wednesday called the idea of holding the jovial parade on such a day an "absurd signal." "The fact that Munich on this day plans and is going ahead with a Carnival celebration shows the thoughtlessness and ignorance of the officials," the Berlin-based organization said. The parade is set for Sunday, the same day used for annual Holocaust remembrance ceremonies around the world. The day commemorates the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland by the Red Army on January 27, 1945. Dieter Graumann, a vice president of Germany's Central Council of Jews, called the idea of holding a parade the same day "tasteless."