Anti-Israel protesters staged a demonstration outside the grounds of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on Monday.

The "March of the Living" event was interrupted by protesters showing banners that read "Stop genocide." Protesters displayed the banners at groups waving Israeli flags.

Witnesses report that protesters were "chanting" at march participants, while Israelis countered with phrases from "Am Yisrael chai," a Jewish solidarity anthem meaning "the people of Israel live."

If you would have told me a year ago, that there would be protesters outside Auschwitz while Holocaust survivors are commemorating the Holocaust Memorial Day I would say you’re crazy.
pic.twitter.com/vASGX7llxE

— Elad Simchayoff (@Elad_Si) May 6, 2024

Survivors of the October 7 attack by Hamas into southern Israel were among the participants as they marched the three-kilometre route from Auschwitz to Birkenau, where one million Jews were systematically killed by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

In response to the protests, the International March of the Living said in a statement:

We marched today to give a voice to the six million victims of the Nazis industrial genocide of the Jewish people.

We marched with survivors of the Nazi atrocities as well as survivors of Hamas' crimes and families of those still held in captivity.

The half a dozen protestors who perversely saw this as an opportunity to voice hatred against Israel and the Jewish people serve as a timely reminder of the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance and of teaching the dangers of hatred and extremism.

Now in its 36th year, the event typically attracts thousands of attendees, encompassing Holocaust survivors, Jewish students, as well as leaders and politicians.

A Palestinian man visited Auschwitz and said these shocking words: "God willing, you will return to the camp... you belong here."

Radical Islamists are just like the Nazis. If they could wipe out the Jews - they would have done that. Israel stands between them and their dream. pic.twitter.com/3i79hmdtkX

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) May 3, 2024

The antisemitic incident is not the first in recent weeks, as disturbing footage emerged of a man walking through the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Auschwitz and saying: "You belong here. This is your place of origin. You left these camps and ghettos. Long live Palestine."