UN Photo/Manuel Elias. At the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, held in the General Assembly Hall, participants prayed and observed a moment of silence.
In the face of this worrying trend of growing hatred around the world, the world must strongly condemn the separatist forces, especially in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October, said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking today at the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
"It is incumbent upon all of us, leaders and citizens, to listen to and learn from survivors and victims, to condemn these horrific crimes against humanity and to work to eradicate anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, hatred and intolerance in order to find a common path towards a safe and inclusive future for all," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. ”
"This is especially important in today's dangerous and divisive world, especially months after the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas, which claimed the lives of many innocent Israeli civilians and other citizens," he noted. ”
The International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is celebrated annually on 27 January, and the theme of this year's commemoration is to honour the extraordinary courage of victims and survivors.
"Always be vigilant"
Guterres continued: "The world must resolve to stand up against the forces of hatred and division. ”
He said that the anti-Semitic hatred that incited the Holocaust did not begin with the Nazis and did not end with the defeat of the Nazis, but rather stemmed from thousands of years of discrimination, expulsion, exile and extermination of Jews.
"Today we are witnessing hatred spreading at an alarming rate," Guterres said. Online, hate has moved from the fringes to the mainstream. ”
To combat hatred, he urged everyone to speak up.
"We should never remain silent in the face of discrimination, and we should never tolerate intolerance in the face of intolerance," he appealed. Let us speak up for human rights and the dignity of all people, let us never lose sight of each other's humanity and always remain vigilant. ”
Unsplash/Jean Carlo Emer
Former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in southern Poland.
"You Are Not Alone"
In addition to the Holocaust and UN Advocacy Programme, the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech provides strategic guidance at the national and global levels.
"To all those facing prejudice and persecution, we can say unequivocally: you are not alone, and the United Nations is with you," Guterres said. ”
"In days like today, we must remember that the demonization of others and the contempt for diversity are a threat to everyone," he stressed. No society is completely immune to intolerance or even worse, and prejudice against one group is prejudice against all. ”
President of the General Assembly: The stories of survivors are a powerful reminder to be vigilant
At the opening of the commemoration, UNGA President Francis, in a pre-recorded video message, said that it was essential to promote Holocaust remembrance and education to ensure that the crime of genocide was not considered normal or justified under any circumstances, and to work to ensure that it was never repeated.
"Today, tragic victims and survivors are a powerful driving force in all that the United Nations does, to protect succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to promote and defend human rights, and to work tirelessly for a more just and peaceful world," Francis said. ”
He stressed that the stories of victims and survivors remind us of our responsibility to fight against hatred and intolerance amid a global surge in hate speech and a rise in anti-Semitism and xenophobia.
"We cannot and must not be satisfied with the status quo," he said. Today and every day, we must reaffirm and continue to live up to our promise to 'never do it again'. Promises are not enough, we must live them in our daily lives. The Holocaust must be a permanent reminder to all of us to remain vigilant against the prevailing hatred, racism, prejudice and intolerance. ”
UN Photo/Manuel Elias. Holocaust survivors Edith Tennenbaum Shapiro and Selma Tennenbaum Rossen from Poland share their stories.
Israel: "Never again, now"
Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel was an "attempt to commit genocide."
"We Jews know the meaning of genocide better than any other people, and we have been persecuted for thousands of years," Erdan said. Hitler imprinted the meaning of genocide into our genes. ”
"However, on Oct. 7, Hamas tore open that wound," he said, patting the yellow star sign attached to the placket of his shirt. It was a symbol that the Nazi regime forced Jews to wear.
"On this occasion is the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust...... I stand here, on behalf of the State of Israel, on behalf of all those killed by the Nazis and Hamas, and I swear, we will never forget. Never again, now. ”
OHCHR: Dehumanization fuelled the Holocaust
In a statement marking the occasion, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said it was incumbent upon the world to study why the Holocaust occurred to ensure that it would never be repeated.
He stressed the scale of the crime and the large number of perpetrators involved.
He said there were staff in both the Nazi concentration camps and the death train, and that the victims were often identified by the police by people they knew.
"Countless bystanders turned a blind eye or were indifferent to the extraordinary and inhumane atrocities they suspected," Türk said. The loss of empathy and empathy for other human beings, the dehumanization that actually contributed to the Holocaust, and the depth and scale of this indifference and lack of empathy for the suffering of others are not only incomprehensible, but horrifying. ”
He said that the world's fear of the Holocaust had led directly to the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years earlier, as well as to the European Convention on Human Rights and a series of international treaties that established the principles and values of equality, dignity and rights in the face of tyranny and poverty. These conventions, and the principles and values they enshrine, must be upheld forever.
"We have a responsibility to find answers and to understand what needs to be done to prevent these crimes," he stressed. If we don't, such a crime could be repeated in the future. ”
United Nations Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony
This year's commemoration ceremony was hosted by Melissa Fleming, Deputy Secretary-General for Global Communications, and included a series of speakers' speeches, survivors' testimonies and performances.
- Speakers included the UN Secretary-General, the President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN, and the U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism.
- Holocaust survivor Christian Pfeil, who was born in the Lubin ghetto in occupied Poland, shared his testimony about the persecution of Roma and Sinti.
- Holocaust survivors Edith Tennenbaum Shapiro and Selma Tennenbaum Rossen from Poland share their stories with violinist Doori Na.
- Also participating were Patra Gelbart and Patrik Gelbart, who sang a song about the Roma. Choir leader Daniel Singer recited a memorial prayer.
- The ceremony can be watched here.