Holocaust survivors urge young Europeans to vote against far right

Ruth Winkelmann, left, and Eva Umlauf with a copy of the joint appeal by eight Holocaust survivors. Photograph: Michael Kappeler/dpa

A group of Holocaust survivors has issued a joint appeal before this weekend’s European parliament election urging younger voters to go to the polls and to exercise their right to prevent the far right from gaining power.

“For millions of you, the European poll is the first election in your life. For many of us it could be the last,” the eight survivors, wrote in the letter. “We couldn’t prevent [the rise of nazism] back then, but you can today.”