Remembrance Day: Von der Leyen, Michel, Sassoli, “Holocaust was European tragedy. Defend human dignity and equality of all human beings”

(Brussels) “Seventy-five years ago, Allied Forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. They ended the most abhorrent crime in European history, the planned annihilation of the Jews in Europe. Six million Jewish children, women and men were murdered as well as millions of innocent people among them hundreds of thousands of Roma, persecuted due to their ethnicity. The price was unspeakably high, but there could hardly be a more symbolic and greater triumph over the Nazis than to commemorate this victory in Israel”. Thus reads the joint statement issued by the Presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of the Council, Charles Michel, and of Parliament, David Maria Sassoli, to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. “Revisionism and lack of education are threatening the common understanding of the uniqueness of the Shoah that is necessary to translate ‘Never Again’ into concrete action now. By joining today’s meeting of Heads of State and Government in Jerusalem, we add our voices to those who are determined to not let extremists and populists go unchallenged when they are trying to cross boundaries and question – once again – human dignity and equality of all human beings”. The Holocaust, the three EU leaders stated, “was a European tragedy, it was a turning point in our history and its legacy is woven into the DNA of the European Union. Remembering the Shoah is not an end in itself. It is one cornerstone of European values. A Europe that places humanity at its centre, protected by the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights”.
Valentina Bombelli