Warsaw, Monday
POLISH Jews are fighting plans to build a shopping centre opposite the Auschwitz death camp.
The development, involving a home and garden centre, supermarket, and fast food restuarant, is being backed by the local authorities in the town of Oswiecim and the director of the museum at the camp site.
However, Szymon Szurmiej, head of a committee representing Polish Jewish groups, said Auschwitz - where the Nazis murdered more than one million people - should be protected as a sacred place.
He said a 500-yard ``quiet zone'' should be kept around its perimeter so that visitors would not be distracted.
Mr Szurmiej said Jewish organisation were opposing the scheme and added: ``There should be no Disneyland built near the biggest death factory in history.''
He said he would be raising the issue at an executive meeting of the European Jewish Congress in Strasbourg later this week.
Jewish organisations have previously campaigned against a convent and a church built near the camp.
The shopping centre, planned in existing low-rise buildings screened behind a wall 80 yards from the camp gate, is being proposed by local retail firm, Krakchemia SA. It has leased the land from a children's charity, the Maj foundation.
A Krakchemia spokesman said neither organisation had received any official protests from Jewish groups or former camp prisoners.
He added: ``We are determined to start operating the first shop as planned in June and the food supermarket in the autumn. We have all the necessary documents.''
The Polish Government said it had no right to intervene in any dispute over the development.
A spokeswoman said the issue was entirely up to local authorities and the Auschwitz museum, which is responsible for the protected zone around the camp.
She stressed there was no question of any amusement facilities being set up near the Auschwitz camp.-Reuter
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