VIENNA — Police officers from Germany and Austria gathered in Vienna for the third stage of the Police and the Holocaust initiative, engaging in an in-depth examination of Holocaust remembrance and its relevance for contemporary law enforcement.
Throughout the program, Vienna itself served as a space of reflection, with participants encountering a wide range of historical markers and sites connected to National Socialism. Walking through the city, discussions focused on how history is embedded in public space and how societies choose to remember the past.
A central component of the visit was a guided tour of the memorial at the former Aspang Railway Station, the site from which mass deportations of Austrian Jews began in February 1941. Between 1941 and 1942, more than 45,000 Jewish men, women, and children were deported from Vienna on 45 transports to ghettos, extermination camps, and execution sites across Nazi-occupied Europe, including Opole, Kielce, Łódź (Litzmannstadt), Kaunas, and Riga.
Several of these destinations—including Izbica, Włodawa, and Sobibór—form part of the program’s subsequent field study in Poland, allowing participants to trace the full trajectory of deportation and extermination. Following the visit, participants engaged in a discussion with the artist collective PRINZpod, whose work shaped the design of the memorial.
The program also included a visit to the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, where participants were received by Eva-Marina Strauß and Stephan Mlczoch from the Ministry’s Department of History, alongside Section Chief Dr. Mathias Vogl. Presentations focused on ongoing research into the role of Austrian police during the Holocaust, examining both institutional responsibility and individual decision-making.
Discussions addressed the question of obedience to orders under the Nazi regime and explored how these historical realities relate to the legal and ethical frameworks governing police work today. Participants reflected on the responsibilities of law enforcement officers in democratic societies, particularly in situations where legal authority and moral judgment may come into tension.
The initiative is implemented by an international consortium of partners, including What Matters and the World Jewish Congress, in cooperation with governmental and educational institutions across Europe. By combining historical analysis with institutional dialogue, the program aims to strengthen awareness of the past while reinforcing the ethical foundations of modern policing.
Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
