Photo by Fadjar Djulizar on Unsplash
A moving memorial event took place at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland on Monday 27th January, with representatives present, to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
All remaining Auschwitz survivors were invited to the event and some 50 were expected to attend.
EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis participated on behalf of the European Commission.
A statement was also issued by the EU to mark the landmark.
It reads, “As we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we mark the 80th year since the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.”
“We remember the unprecedented horrors of the Holocaust. Six million Jews and millions of others were murdered, 1.1 million in Auschwitz alone.”
“Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented increase in antisemitism on our continent, not seen since the Second World War.”
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the alarming rise in violent antisemitic incidents, Holocaust denial and distortion, as well as conspiracy theories and prejudice against Jews.”
“More than ever, it is crucial that we uphold our responsibility to honour the victims of the Holocaust.”
“We are determined to combat antisemitism and to protect and foster Jewish life in Europe. We denounce all forms of discrimination, intolerance, racism, and xenophobia, and will take decisive action to address these threats to democratic societies.”
“Respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights, including the freedoms of expression and religion or belief, as well as the rights of persons belonging to minorities, must and will guide our actions at all times, in line with the values upon which our European Union is founded, and which are common to us all,” it ended.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the European Parliament will convene a special plenary session in Brussels to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27 January) and mark 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.
As part of the ceremony, Corrie Hermann, daughter of Hungarian-born cellist Pál Hermann, who was murdered during the Holocaust by the Nazis, will address MEPs, sharing her father’s story.
The event will also include a performance of Pál Hermann’s compositions, played on his original Gagliano cello.
This commemoration takes place against the backdrop of a rising tide of antisemitism across Europe, with recent years seeing a sharp increase in incidents and attacks against Jewish communities. The ECR Group reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating antisemitism and standing with Jewish communities.
EP President Roberta Metsola will open the solemn ceremony, followed by the address by Corrie Hermann, who will tell the story of her father, Hungarian cellist and composer Pál Hermann who was murdered by the Nazis in 1944.
