The residents of Auschwitz and other towns near concentration camps who knew about the camps but did nothing to stop them or tell the Jews?

Answer 1

It has become oh-so-trendy to regard people in that kind of position as guilty as guilty can be - on a par with the actual perpetrators. In practical terms, what were ordinary residents of the town supposed to do? Run around the Polish countryside shouting, 'There's a Holocaust going on at Auschwitz'? Storm the camp? And, by the way, about 40% of the residents of Auschwitz were themselves Jews and living under very severe restrictions indeed ...

There is a huge difference between bystanders who were actually in a position to 'do something' and those who were not.