Debate: Formal sitting – International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Date: THURSDAY, 25 JANUARY 2024
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Today the European Parliament marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day. We pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to counter anti-Semitism, racism and all other forms of hate. Europe remembers.  I invite you first to view a video depicting the horror of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp as seen from the eyes of one of its survivors – the first female president of the European Parliament, Simone Veil. Dear colleagues, dear dignitaries, dear Irene Shashar, every year at the end of January, this Parliament marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.  We remember the victims of the Holocaust. We remember the six million Jewish people, Romani people, LGBT communities and many others who were stripped of their dignity because of their religious faith, their ethnicity, race or disability.  The path that led to Auschwitz and the Holocaust began generations before – with scapegoating, bullying and dehumanisation. It began with ostracising those seen as ‘different’, by blaming ‘the other’. The German Nazi regime exterminated 17 million men, women and children and inflicted unimaginable suffering and pain on millions more, while others’ silence stood complicit. As one survivor put it – ‘The truly horrific thing was the absence of horror of so many’. The comfort of indifference meant too many closed their eyes and turned away.  I am proud that the European Parliament is not a place of indifference.  I am proud that this House speaks up against Holocaust deniers, against conspiracy myths, against disinformation and against violence that deliberately targets and singles out members of our communities. Because, despite decades of effort, we have not yet done enough to combat discrimination.  Dear Irene, we are honoured to have you in the European Parliament, for this solemn ceremony of remembrance. The European Parliament understands its responsibility. In the video, we heard Simone Veil’s recollection of the horrors of Auschwitz – with the number 7-8-6-5-1 tattooed under her skin. She survived the evil of concentration camps and changed the face of modern Europe.  Although, dear Irene, none of us can fathom the extent of the pain that you suffered, and you being a Hidden Child during the war – with nothing but your beloved doll Laleczka as your sole companion – we will listen to your story. We will take your lessons with us. We will remember. On Holocaust Remembrance day, we recall the importance of sharing stories like yours, today and for generations to follow, of protecting our values. The story of Europe is one of ideals and values. It is one of overcoming tragedy, of building bridges between peoples, of turning enemies into partners and friends, of building from the ashes.  Over the years, our Union has transformed the lives of millions. We tore down barriers and replaced them with common values. We achieved freedom, guaranteed prosperity, and provided opportunity. We must continue to remember Europe’s story, to remember its horrors and to treasure its accomplishment in overcoming them, to understand where we came from, and why, and to teach these lessons to our children. Ladies and gentlemen, We remember. I would like now to invite you all to listen to Marcelo Nisinman –  a composer and performer of the bandoneon. He composed this piece especially for today’s Holocaust Remembrance Day event in the European Parliament. I now give the floor to Irene Shashar, Holocaust survivor, for her address.