Henric Lassesson

VIDEO WARNING This video posted on YouTube by Everyday Treasure (youtube.com/@EverydayTreasur…) has over 500,000 views. Yet, the content of this film requires our intervention. Why? First of all, the video made by Everyday Treasure was made without obtaining the required permission to film at the Auschwitz Memorial, and it sadly documented the author’s numerous violations of the regulations of visiting the historical site. Furthermore, the video is filled with factual inaccuracies. Many of the errors are small, but they show on one hand the lack of knowledge and on the other hand the lack of attention to factual details that is so important when talking about the complicated history of Auschwitz. Something very concerning was the encouragement to pick up pieces of bricks from the ground. This was in fact encouraging people to break the law. The entire historical area is a preserved space and picking up anything - including pieces of bricks - is simply illegal and people may face serious consequences. One of the most concerning issues is the blatant disregard for visitor rules, including separating from the guided tour, walking behind protective lines around the ruins of gas chamber III, and entering prohibited and unsafe areas such as the sewage treatment plant and drainage ditches. These actions not only endanger the site’s preservation but also show a deep lack of respect for the Memorial and its significance. For example, walking within the areas where corpses were burned, despite clear signs indicating the solemn nature of the location, is disrespectful. Additionally, the video spreads many historical inaccuracies. The author incorrectly claims that the voltage in the barbed wire at Auschwitz I was 720 volts when it was 400 volts, and at Birkenau, it was 760 volts. Similarly, he falsely states that SS guards on the watchtowers were snipers and implies that the towers were manned constantly, which was not the case. 

 The claim that the Execution Wall is famous from the movie "Schindler's List" is incorrect as it was not depicted there. Additionally, the suggestion that 15 people were hanged simultaneously on the posts in the courtyard of Block 11 is false. The author mentions only a few people escaped from the camp, while there were over 900 documented escape attempts. The suggestion that prostheses displayed in Block 5 belonged to women because the women's camp was located nearby is misleading. Female prisoners were held in Blocks 1-10 of Auschwitz I from March to August 1942, but this has no connection to the ownership of the prostheses on display. The claim that "one can of Zyklon B could kill thousands" is also inaccurate, as several kilograms of Zyklon were needed to murder people in a gas chamber. Other false statements include the number of people hanged at the roll-call square (the author claims 30, when in fact it was 12), the destruction of wooden barracks before liberation (many were not destroyed), and the suggestion that he "snuck" into areas off-limits to visitors, which is untrue as these areas are accessible to the public. Moreover, the author mistakenly says that there is nothing in the basement of Block 11, ignoring the fact that visitors can see prison cells and that this was where the first experiment with Zyklon B occurred. The inaccuracies extend to smaller details as well, such as the incorrect number of suitcases in Block 5, and false information regarding the function of the Kanada sector. Overall, the video presents a highly inaccurate and disrespectful portrayal of the Auschwitz Memorial. We strongly urge the removal of this content to preserve the dignity of the memory of victims and the historical site and to prevent the spread of misinformation about this crucial part of history.