President Fleischhacker Participates in the "March of the Living 2025"
As a representative of the UNIKO (Austrian Association of Universities) Presidium, the President of the Medical University of Innsbruck, Professor Wolfgang Fleischhacker MD, participated in this year’s "March of the Living" in Poland. The annual march leads from Auschwitz to Birkenau and commemorates the victims of the Holocaust. This year, numerous representatives from the education and higher education sectors were in attendance.
Beyond commemorating the liberation of the concentration camps, the multi-day event serves as a powerful statement against anti-Semitism, racism, and all forms of misanthropy. In 2025, more than 10,000 participants from around the world took part. This year’s march marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The "University Presidents Mission to Poland" also emphasized the role of universities as centers of knowledge. The initiative was launched by David Machlis, an award-winning U.S. professor of economics. The presence of high-ranking representatives from academia and politics highlights the importance of a vibrant culture of remembrance, particularly in light of growing societal tensions and rising anti-Semitic sentiments.
Representing the UNIKO Presidium, the President of the Medical University of Innsbruck was joined in Poland by Associate Professor Barbara Bockstahler, Vice-president for Teaching Innovation and Clinical Affairs at Vetmeduni Vienna.
The "March of the Living" has taken place annually since 1988. Since its inception, more than 300,000 people from around the globe have joined to take a stand against hatred and prejudice. The educational program includes visits to historical sites, meetings with Holocaust survivors, and seminars with renowned experts. It encourages participants to take an active stand against anti-Semitism, racism, and intolerance.
"As a representative of a medical university, it is especially important for me to remember that science carries responsibility. Medicine was complicit in serious injustices during the Nazi era. For me, the March of the Living is a reminder that all our activities must be grounded in the fundamental values of humanity, dignity, and enlightenment. This responsibility compels us to shape research, teaching, and health care in the spirit of an open, critical, and humanistic society", President Fleischhacker said following the march. "This year, Austria also commemorates the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Second Republic. Its founding marked a new beginning after the darkest chapter in our history. It was a commitment to democracy, freedom, and human dignity—values that also form the foundation of our university. As universities, it is part of our public mission to help strengthen democratic culture."
During the annual commemorative event jointly hosted by the two universities in Innsbruck, the President also reflected on the horrors of the Nazi era and its lasting impact.
(05.05.2025, Text: B. Hoffmann-Ammann, Foto: privat)
Further information:
March of the Living
University Presidents Mission to Poland
Beitrag der Veterinärmedizinischen Universität
Österreichische Universitätenkonferenz