Speaking at a commemorative meeting on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity, which is commemorated on 27 January on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Red Army, President Petr Pavel said this at Prague Castle.
Speech by the President of the Republic at the commemorative meeting at Prague Castle:
Dear survivors, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour for me to open our gathering today, which is aimed at commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end not only of the Second World War, but also of the Holocaust, or the systematic genocide of the Jews, but not only of the Jews, but of many other ethnicities, nations, political groups, or minorities.
Unfortunately, humanity has a rather poor reputation for learning from history, and we therefore commemorate events that should not be forgotten. But not only those events, because the Second World War, the Holocaust, did not happen overnight. It had its own development, and there were various paths and events leading up to it, which have been very well analysed up to the present day, precisely in the case of the Holocaust, but we tend to forget precisely these features and phenomena. When we look at what is happening today, many people are watching with concern the development of the security situation in the world, the development of political currents, because, as was the case in the 1930s, we can also see today the growth of the breeding ground from which the Holocaust eventually grew.
It is not only intolerance towards various groups and ethnicities, but it is also an increase in misinformation that is being spread today not only in the standard media, but primarily through social media. The lack of, let us say, filters on what is really harmful, on what is aimed not only at deepening hatred, but also at inciting violence, is spreading an atmosphere that deepens the divisions in society, animosities that can, under certain conditions, result in conflict, or in a repetition of what we have experienced in the past.
I appreciate the fact that I was able to attend the commemorative event in Auschwitz yesterday, which many of the survivors and those who are here in the hall today went through. It was a gathering attended by more than 3 000 people, fifty survivors from all countries, and also representatives of more than fifty countries at the highest level. For me, it was proof that the subject of the Holocaust, but intolerance in general towards any group, any ethnicity, is still relevant. And that is why I am glad that we are here today, not only to commemorate the horrors of the Holocaust, which cost the lives of six million Jews and 60 million people in total throughout the Second World War, events which caused enormous suffering and damage across the world and which, unfortunately, are still being repeated to this day, albeit to a lesser extent. And that's why I still see the need not only to commemorate that, but also on the basis of perhaps emotion, because today emotions influence people's opinions more than facts, so that we also add a little bit of emotion to the commemoration of facts, whether it be through films, theatre, but also other forms of art that convey to generations that did not experience these horrors, and let's be glad for that, to convey to them how terrible the situation is when a certain group of people or a whole ethnic group is dehumanized and put outside human society.
I think these are things that everyone should be aware of, not only on the factual level, but also on the emotional level, so that we do not allow anything like this to happen again. Thank you.
President of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil (ODS) said that on the one hand it is a success that a large part of Europe has not experienced war for eighty years, but at the same time today's conflicts are affecting Europe more and more. "It's vitally important for us to react properly," He said. For him, the Holocaust is a horrific memory of the genocide of millions of Jews, Roma, Sinti and other mass murders.
"But the Holocaust is also an unmistakable warning beacon that shows us which direction we must not take today and, conversely, which direction we must take so that we do not repeat old mistakes." he said. According to him, it is not enough to commemorate the dark times of our past only once a year. "Preventing hatred and injustice must be our daily work," He added.
"Let us not be satisfied with monuments, reminders, big words and our own emotions. Let us show respect and reverence to all those murdered by seeking to truly know and understand the destructive mechanisms of the 20th century. Let us encourage the discovery and knowledge of the specific fates of specific people," said the Minister of Culture Martin Baxa (ODS).
Chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic Petr Papoušek declared that the Holocaust was not just a failure of one ideology, but a tragic failure of an entire civilization. "That is why we need to speak openly and with courage about what we see in the present. Anti-Semitism, which we hoped was a thing of the past, is reappearing, sometimes covertly and sometimes openly," He pointed out that there has been an increase in hatred of Jews around the world. "Hatred is like a flame that spreads uncontrollably unless it is nipped in the bud," He added.
In addition to musical performances, the event also included a prayer by the Czech Chief Rabbi Charles Sidon or the performance of a former prisoner of the Nazi extermination camp in Auschwitz Hana Sternlichtováwho came from Israel.
castle.cz/ čt24/ gnews - RoZ
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