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| UK schoolboys fined and released after theft of Auschwitz artefacts | UK schoolboys fined and released after theft of Auschwitz artefacts |
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| Two British schoolboys arrested at Auschwitz have each received a year’s probation, suspended for three years, and a 1,000 zloty (£170) fine after admitting stealing artefacts from the former Nazi death camp. | Two British schoolboys arrested at Auschwitz have each received a year’s probation, suspended for three years, and a 1,000 zloty (£170) fine after admitting stealing artefacts from the former Nazi death camp. |
| The boys, both 17, were released by Polish authorities on Tuesday afternoon after spending the night in jail. They were arrested on Monday while on a history trip with the independent Perse school in Cambridge. | The boys, both 17, were released by Polish authorities on Tuesday afternoon after spending the night in jail. They were arrested on Monday while on a history trip with the independent Perse school in Cambridge. |
| Polish police said they had tried to steal a comb, spoons, buttons and pieces of glass from block 5 where Nazi guards stored prisoners’ confiscated belongings during the second world war. | Polish police said they had tried to steal a comb, spoons, buttons and pieces of glass from block 5 where Nazi guards stored prisoners’ confiscated belongings during the second world war. |
| Perse’s headmaster, Ed Elliott, said: “I want to hear directly from the boys as to what led them to take these items. I want to ensure that all necessary lessons are learnt. The opportunity to be able to visit Holocaust sites carries with it the duty to treat those sites with the utmost respect and sensitivity.” | |
| A spokesman for the £15,000-a-year school said: “The boys, neither of whom is yet 18, picked up the fragments in the Canada section of the camp. They cooperated fully with the authorities and admitted taking the items. They are deeply sorry for the offence they have caused.” | A spokesman for the £15,000-a-year school said: “The boys, neither of whom is yet 18, picked up the fragments in the Canada section of the camp. They cooperated fully with the authorities and admitted taking the items. They are deeply sorry for the offence they have caused.” |
| Sgt Krzysztof Łach, a spokesman at the Kraków police headquarters, said the teenagers were with a group of friends when they were detained at 3pm on Monday. | Sgt Krzysztof Łach, a spokesman at the Kraków police headquarters, said the teenagers were with a group of friends when they were detained at 3pm on Monday. |
| He said they were arrested because they were suspected of stealing “some stuff from the museum – two pieces of broken glass, spoons, clothes buttons and a comb”. | He said they were arrested because they were suspected of stealing “some stuff from the museum – two pieces of broken glass, spoons, clothes buttons and a comb”. |
| “The museum is very important for us and to people from all around the world and the Jewish people.” Łach said the boys spent the night in a youth jail. | “The museum is very important for us and to people from all around the world and the Jewish people.” Łach said the boys spent the night in a youth jail. |
| Perse school counts the theatre director Sir Peter Hall and Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour among its alumni. | Perse school counts the theatre director Sir Peter Hall and Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour among its alumni. |
| Related: Men jailed for Auschwitz memorial sign theft | Related: Men jailed for Auschwitz memorial sign theft |
| A spokeswoman at the UK Foreign Office said officials were in contact with the Polish authorities and were ready to provide consular assistance. | A spokeswoman at the UK Foreign Office said officials were in contact with the Polish authorities and were ready to provide consular assistance. |
| The Holocaust Educational Trust (HET), one of the biggest UK organisers of trips to Auschwitz, said the boys were not on one of its trips. | The Holocaust Educational Trust (HET), one of the biggest UK organisers of trips to Auschwitz, said the boys were not on one of its trips. |
| Auschwitz, near the city of Kraków in southern Poland, has become a poignant symbol of the Holocaust that claimed 6 million Jewish lives across Europe. | Auschwitz, near the city of Kraków in southern Poland, has become a poignant symbol of the Holocaust that claimed 6 million Jewish lives across Europe. |
| About 1.5 million people, mainly European Jews, were gassed, shot, hanged or burned at the camp, which was located in a Polish area annexed by Nazi Germany during the war. | About 1.5 million people, mainly European Jews, were gassed, shot, hanged or burned at the camp, which was located in a Polish area annexed by Nazi Germany during the war. |
| Museum curators say some visitors try to pilfer artefacts as souvenirs. In 2010, a Swedish man was jailed for orchestrating the theft of the infamous “Arbeit macht frei” sign over the entry gate. | Museum curators say some visitors try to pilfer artefacts as souvenirs. In 2010, a Swedish man was jailed for orchestrating the theft of the infamous “Arbeit macht frei” sign over the entry gate. |