89-year-old Holocaust survivor given police protection after receiving death threats

An 89-year-old Holocaust survivor has been given police protection after receiving death threats in one of the more depressing stories of recent times.

Liliana Segre, an Auschwitz survivor and senator for life, is on the receiving end of 200 social media attacks a day so called for the creation of a parliamentary committee to combat racism and antisemitism. Parliament approved the motion despite the resistance of Italy’s far right parties.

Israel's ambassador to Italy tweeted his shock that the heroine now requires a police escort:

"An 89-year-old survivor under escort symbolises the danger that the Jewish communities in Europe still are facing today.”

Segre was 13 when she was sent to Auschwitz and much of her family was murdered there. She has spent the last few decades recounting her experiences during the Holocaust to the younger generations.

The idea that this heroine’s life could be bookended with the kind of thing should fill us all with a profound sense of sadness. Never again should mean never again.

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