"Extremely offensive sign" at Cork Intreo office causes international upset

The official account of Auschwitz, a former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, has tweeted pictures of Cork’s Intreo office demanding for a makeshift sign to be removed.

“Jobpath Macht Frei” was pasted onto the glass above the door of the social welfare centre on Hanover Street, a take on the phrase ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ - Work sets you free, that appeared at the entrance of many concentration camps during the Nazi era.

Jobpath is an Intreo scheme for long term unemployed that attempts to assist them in securing and sustaining full or part-time employment.

Tweeting from their official Twitter account, the Auschwitz Memorial @Auschwitzmuseum which preserves the Auschwitz site wrote: “ @welfare_ie "Arbeit macht frei" was a false, cynical illusion the SS (Schutzstaffel) gave to prisoners of the #Auschwitz camp.

“Those words became one of the icons of human hatred.

“It's painful to see this symbol 'interpreted' over 'Cork Employment Services Office'. Please remove it.”

According to the Irish Polish Society, the sticker was noticed by two Polish individuals who were visiting the centre on Wednesday and they alerted the manager to the presence of the offensive saying, posted above the door.

The sticker was removed in 20 minutes.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection confirmed to The Echo that the incident occurred saying “an extremely offensive sign” had been placed on the outside of its office in Hanover Street, Cork by “unknown persons” Wednesday afternoon and was removed immediately.

“The Department very much regrets that this happened at one of its offices and it has reported the matter to the Gardaí.”